The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-10-24

and the mechanical. The ~, NJ
ton Is so called from a snacias osieal Al
organisms whose presence il VI Mo.
70 the nItrrhcation of orga n;a ctessi1l
| organic matter is COMPOSED -. matt,
! OF carbonaceous and nitrn..ppi tncDal,l
stituents which are harmful - ca
lie health and it has been dar,lne leb f
beyond doubt, that the copverr;o ollsiiats
| heterogeneous matter into re-, oi Ii F
trates is the work of bacteria rue IrTuless
! OF this is a product of the lost ns pfca 4
| although many sanitarians III ueead
long before. In 1882 Mr.. WEED
read paper before III asla
ciety of arts in VINE sne y
said: THE purifying action "a 4eh
probably due to three distinc+ = so
First, simple filtration or the -acuols
OF suspended matter Second - a1afN {
cipitation and retention bv H. une pm
ammonia and various organic snh sou
previously in solution. Third u ancd
dalton Of ammonia and organio 'ue on +
by the agency of living rg9nisr,.h alla
last mode of action is uudonh+aM. Ii /
important, as without oxidstion y mo-
matter must accumulate in The s s ied
the hitter bed lose its eficiencv' SUI ~
hlterlng power of a soil win dr. I'LL
tlfely upon its mechanical conditio.1 u !, e B
preclpltating power of a soil Is ~
other hand, a chemical function !, ~ y
the hydrated ferric oxide plays VINO
portant part. The oxidizing nowa. q. 70
soil VIII depend entirely on its ma.S VI
zeal, partly on its chemical, and naaa
on ITS biological conditions. II wa paig
merry supposed that the oxidizinp :, ~. ~
OF a SOL depended entirely upon ~ sVse
oslty, 1t being assumed that oYid.EMs
occurred by simple contact with u
air in the pores of the soil We ue
know that a porous material is nor INV, ~.
essary, as nitrifcation can occur !; nec
closed glass bottle" Mr.. Warn
read paper before the British AssesaeAl
ton for the Advancement of Sciencs a.
1884, extending his views and mere fuiA
defining the action of the bacteria in n!
publication of foul waters. Wy
At the Lawrence experimental s,..,.
Hazen, Richards and Jordan have frSa
confirmed the speculations of fo,uq
scientists, and II is now an accented ~
DRY or fact among sanitarians NJ.
process of nitrifcation. briefly. is As
conversion of heterogeneous matters ;n.s
harmless nitrates. 1t is not within ~
province of this lecture to follow tIs
various steps by which this convors;0s
is accomplished. 1t is sufficient 70, s' !.
to know that without free oxygenl tSs
is produced by the indnstr;o M,
bacteria. As an illustration of their a.
ion, the formation of yeast will serTa
is. One per cent of the sugar is con.
'umed by the organisms, 95 per cent /.
into alcohol and the other 4
'er cent into various acids. But va
must bear in mind that the action 4
tarted by the bacteria. These harm.
ess bacteria are valiant and unsel6sh
defenders of the public health. Tbsr
re the unpaid scavengers of Civilization
-hey. are the outer sentinels that shat.
er the invading army or organic cam.
'ounds. They start a CONFEDERATION that
ndts IN their own destruction. TbeT
a small per cent of the nitrogen
S 1000 and thus inaugurate the cam.
algn that burns up the organic matter
nd leaves the water pure and whole I
ONE. Samson-like, they place Their
houlders against the pillars of the tenn.
lie Of pollution and disease and DESTROY
and perish in the ruins. The opera.
ION, then, is one of publication. as Il
apresents a change of the nitrogenous
ompounds from an organic state in
'hich they are insoluble and pollrtipg
a sta bic and harmless inorganic state,
simply represents a burned I'D condi.
on OF the organic matter.