The dwelling house / by George Vivian Poore.

  • Poore G. V. (George Vivian), 1843-1904.
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The dwelling house / by George Vivian Poore. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    producing fertility and in feeding higher plants. The in- ■ testines of animals swarm with bacteria and allied bodies, * and it may be assumed, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, that excrements carry with them, so to say, in -l the form of moulds and bacteria, bodies which help in their •] subsequent humilication. ^ Which of us has not noticed the excrement of a dog, | evenly covered with exquisitely graceful stalks of fungus as ^ with a crop of erect white hairs. The greatest of all human observers must have seen this, for he makes the : ' -i Queen say to Hamlet: ' ‘ Your bedded hair, like life in excrements, Starts up and stands on end.’ Ordinary humus contains such organisms in countless numbers, and it is probable that when excreta are mixed with sterile bodies, such as ashes, the necessary organisms are in part supplied by the excreta themselves, or possibly gain access from the air around. In order that humification may take place two things are necessary :— 1. The matter must be tolerably dry—absolute dryness : checks the process, so does excess of moisture. It is stated > that about 33 per cent, of moisture is the amount with . which tho humifying change is most rapid. 2. The access of air is necessary, because the organisms which produce humification are aerobic, and, as much of the change consists of oxidation, it is evident that the free access of air is essential. Actual Practice It may be well to refer here to what is actually done in my garden at Andover, in Hampshire. It should be stated that the garden is close to the