The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1885-04-18

American Lumberman. ,

American Lumberman.
! The chemical process sawdust should
undergo to renderit suitable for fer
tilizing, and how to use il on land af
ter the sweating process has been &C
complished, is described bya writei
as follows ga.a a
"Sawdust is conductor of heat tc
change its condition, heat, air. and
moisture are necessary. To secure the
vegetable mould SO important in rem
dering a soil (sand and clay) fertile,
sawdust presents desirable compound
forthe purpose when properly treated.
The difference between humus, Mime,
vegetable mould, ETC., consists in their
containing more carbon than wood.
To obtain these compounds slow
burning or decay must take place. To
produce this chemical action, heat is
necessary at least so deg. to 90 deg.
Fab, with small supply of air--a
Kind of smouldering process The
first element of the wood to unite with
the oxygen is the hydrogen, and
quickly the excess of carbon shows
itself by q dark or charcoal color,
whiehPis the case when the decay takes
place in the soil as the oxidation of
the hydrogen continues, the humus,
ulmine, and vegetable mould, comes
in view. Too much heat must be
avoided, or the carbon viii also take
oxygen, and all will pass to the air as
carbonic acid and water, and nothing
but the mineral matter be left.
In all manure piles this heat must
be controlled, or you will have the So
called ire-fanged mass, free of hImus
and its allied combinations. Vegeta,
BILE matters in green state possess a
self-destructiYe power within them
selves, having the gluten and chloro-
phyl in a moist state. These COM
pounds are much more sensitive than
ternary ones. will compare them to
flesh and fat in the animal kingdom,
The carbon, oxygen and hydrogen Of
the fat will hold together for while,
but with. flesh it is different. The
four have no chemical affinity. The
restless negative nitrogen will slip
away the moment the cohesive power
of life is lost hence the rapid resolu-
tion Of flesh in the presence of that
heat. aia ~ mUu
VI With this explanation, | propose
suggesting q plan FOR utilizing saw
dust or any carbonaceous matter to
reduce to humus First have bed Of
the dust, and on this thin bed of
green matter--weeds of any kind will
answer the purpose--then a thin
sprinkle OF fine road dust of clay, fol
lowed by bed of sawdust, and al
ternate, until your pile reaches some
feet. Soon the unfxed nitrogen will
unite with the hydrogen, and seek its
old home in the air in the form of am
nonis, which, when freed, will be
trapped by the clay. The resolution
Of this vegetable matter sets free tho
locked up sun-heat it contained, and
The heat induces the hydrogen Of the
wood to seize oxygen and pass to its
old condition (water) and the desired
of lhumus and vegetable
mould comes in full view; and this is
.he great restorer of life to worn
'ut body of sand and clay, When ap-
olied from pile of sawdust, or the
turning under Of a growth of vege-
able matter, the result is the same.
Life and motion commence, ammonia,
'arbonic acid, and moisture from the
Iir are all drawn 70 it and held, and
he roots soon find and transform wa
er, carboEic acid and ammonia into
living organic matter, and lie again
ZONES out of the organic kingdom
without the use Of flesh and blood. p