Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-05-15
General agriculture.
VALUE OF NIGHT SOIL.

DR.. Granville, an Ehglishman, thus ridi.
cules the practice of his couutrymen in al
lowing the night.soil to run to waste: "In
no part of France, Wurtemburg, Bavaria,
Bohemia, Prussia, Saxony, Germany, Hol-
land and Belgium is there city in which,
as in London, the general mass of filth of
every description created by vast popula-
tion, is 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 pur-
poses7--although, by avoiding the latter dis
gusting alternative, foreign cities are less
free from unpleasant smells than London is.
la 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."
= 10 the country it is perfectly feasible to
avoid either alternative, smelling or swal-
lowing, and at the same time greatly iu-
crease the amount and value of the excre-
ment In order to effect this, the vault
should be made as nearly air tight as pos
sible, and tube should run from it to the
top Of the house, or, better still, connect it
with a chimney. 1--WE 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
women aud 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 uight-soil, it is
necessary to have barrel of dry, ine earth,
or sifted coal ashes near, and daily sprinkle
few quarts into the vault. An occasional
sprinkling Of plaster (sulphate of lime) or
copperas, (sulphate OF lron,) both excellent
ieodorizers and fertilizers, will tend to pre-
serve the purity Of the air and increase the
purity Of the deposit. La no way can sui
phuric acid, an important fertilIzing COM
pound, be bought as cheapIy as in the form
of plaster. Copperas we have found to be
better deodorizer, and on some soils it is
better fertilizer, but it costs more. Bought
by the barrel however, it is not expensive,
costing only two or three cents per pound.
One who has never tried it will be astonish.
ed to 6nd how much fertilizing material a
u family will furnish in the course Of "a year
it a family vault is ouly furnished with suit
able absorbing material.
By accurate wcighings, long continued,
the daily solid excretions Of one person have
been found to average eight ounces, aud
the liquid three and half pounds. This
will give annually 1872 pounds of solid ex-
crement, aud 1877 pounds Of urine. The
ysis of the solid exoreuent shows that
it contains 1873 per cent. Of water and 26.7
per cent. Of dry solid matter, the latter con-
sistihg of vegetable aud animal remains, rich
with ammonia aud saline matter such as
carbonate, muriate, and sulphate Of soda,
and pAosphates Of lime aud magnesia.
The aulysis Of human urine shows it to be
still more valuable than the solid excrement.
1t furnishes such a variety Of rich CON-
pounds that we give Berzelius' analysis oi
it in full, 80 that farmers may learn to prize
the liquid excrements of their animals, fol
these as general rule furnish, when proper
ly secured, more fertilizing material than
the solid. One great reason why the excre
ments of birds are 80 rich is, that the solid
aud liquid are combined in them. Berzeli
us gives the following as the componeuts il
thousand parts Of human urine Water
93.3; urea, 30. 10 sulphate Of potash, 3.7l
suphate OF soda, 2,l6 phosphate of soda
2.94 muriate of soda, common salt,
4.45 phosphate OF ammonia, l.65 muri
ate of ammonia, l.50 animal matter anC
acetate OF ammonia, 1914; earthly phOs
pilates, mucus, 81; silica, O3; total
1000.
OF course, these excrements will vary
with different Individuals and with the sam,
person at different times, but Boussiugault
who is good authority, considers the excrO
ments Of single adult during one year, oil
the average, rs sufficient for the production
of fourteen aud hal bushels Of wheat.
These calculations of the chemist do no
vary essentially from ths results Of actua
experiment. The Chinese have ever bee
more saving of fertilizers than even tn
Belgians, aud so highly priced is human or
dure by the Celestials that they reckon tn
excrement OF superanuuated person u
sufficient compensation for his head. Night
soil is so rich that large dose is not re
quired for land, and it is possible to put o
SO much as to do damage, as the iollowin
experiment by Arthur Young on potatOe
demonstrates
Product per aOr
Bushel
Soil unmanuTed, 1.
Ten WAgOn-loadS nlght-soil, &
Six wasOn-loads ught-soil, 81
| Two WagOn-loads nightSOil, 81
Here six loads produced more than tel
and two increased the product more tina