The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-05-26
agricultural department.
BY ALBERT CHAPMAN
Value OF Night Soil.

Dr. Granville, an EnBilsnihau, tnus
rdicues the practice Of his countrymen
10 allowing the night-soil to run to waste
lin no part OF France, Wurtemburg,
Bavaria, Bohemia. Prussia, Saxony, Ger
many, Holland and Belgium is there
city in which, as in London, the general
mass Of filth of every description created
BY vast population, 10 first allowed to
enter the river which may happen to
traverse that city, and is then returned
diluted with the water Of that river to
the houses of the inhabitants, to be used
either for domestic or culinary purposes
although by avoiding the latter dis.
gushing alternative, foreign cities are less
free from unpleasant smells than London
is. Ia this respect, it may be truly said
that foreigners smell the filth of their
cities, but do not swallow it, whereas the
Londoner swallows it. but seldom smells
it,"
ln the country it is perfectly feasible
to avoid either alternative, smelling or
swallowing, and at the same time greatly
increase the amount and value Of the ex q.
cremsnt In order to effect this, the
vault should be made rs nearly air tight
rs possible, and a tube should run from it
10 the top of the house, or, better STILL
connect it with a chimney. I'VE take it
for granted that no man in these DAYS of
civilization builds his privy, as was the
custom Of yore, at distance from his
house. thus exposing woman and children
to winds, weather, and wayfarers in their
daily walks,) The vault thus tubed, the
current of air will be down the holes and
up the tube, But to avoid all loss of
ammonia from night.soil, it is necessary
to have a barrel of dry, fno earth, or
sifted coal ashes near, and daily sprinkle
few quarts into the vault, An occa.
sional spriDkling of plaster (sulphate of
lime) or copperas, ,sulphate Of iron,) both
excellent deodorizsrs and fertilizers, will
tend to preserve the purity of the air and
increase the purity OF the deposit In no
way can sulphuric acid, an important
fsrtilizing compound, be bought as cheap.
ly ss in the form of plaster, Copperas
wo have found to be better deodorizer,
and on some soil it is a better fertilizer,
but it costs more. Bought by the bar.
rel however, it is not expensive, costing
only two or three cents per pound, One
who has never tried it will be astonished
to find how much fertilizing material a
family will furnish in the course of year
if a family vault is only furnished with
suitable absorbing material,
By accurate weighings, long continued,
the daily solid excretions of one person
have been found to average eight ounces,
and the liquid three and half pounds
This will give annually 1872 pounds Of
solid excrement, and 1877 pounds of
urine. The analysis Of the solid excre-
ment shows that it contains 1873 per
cent Of water and 26.7 per cent. of dry
solid matter, the latter consisting of veg
etable and animal remains, rich with
ammonia and saline matter, such as car
Donate. muriate, and sulphate of soda,
and phosphates Of lime and magnesia.
The anlysis of human urine shows it to
be still more valuable than the solid ex.
crement. In furnishes such variety OF
rich compounds that we give Berzeius'
analysis Of it in full, so that farmers may
learn to prize the liquid excrements Of
their animals, FOR these as a general rule
furnish, when properly secured, more fer.
tilizing material than the solid One
great reason why tho e-oromo"ts 81 Ai-a~
are SO rich is, that the solid and liquid
are combined in them, Berzelius gives
the following as the components in a
thousand parts Of human urine. Water,
93.3; urea, 1910; sulphate of potash,
2.7l /; sulphate Of soda, SIG; phosphate
of soda,2 "a !; muriate of soda, common
salt,)4 As phosphate of ammonia, l .G5 (;
muriate Of ammonia. l.50; animal mat.
ter aud acetate of ammonia, -. IA
earthly Phosphates. | mucus, 81 silica
.03; total, 1000
OF course, these excrements will vary
with different individuals and with the
same person at different times, but Bous.
singault, who is good authority, considers
the excrements of a single adult during
one year, on the average, as sufficet fol
the production of fourteen and hall
bushels of wheat.
These calculations of the chemist dc
not vary essentially from the results o
actual experiment. The Chinese hav,
ever been more saving of fertilizers thar
even the Belgians, and so highly priced il
human ordure by the Celestials that the,
reckon the excrement of superannuate(
person as sufficient compensation for hi
head. Night.soil is SO rich that a larg
dose is not required for land, and it i
possible to put on so much as to do dam
age, as the following experiment by Ar
thur Young on potatoes demonstrates
Prod"ct PEI ar