THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



503 



The praiiie soils iirc licli iu orgauic matter tleiivcJ 

 from the annual decay of the grass for centuries. 

 The soil of the forests is cnriclied by tlie fallen leaves. 



The manner in which soils are formed cannot be 

 doubted by any one who has observed the appear- 

 ance of large rocky masse?, the bare surface of their 

 smoother and harder parts, and the growth of mosses 

 and small plants on the more softened portions. The 

 soil in valleys surrounded by rocky mountains 

 shows very evidently that they originated in the 

 disintegration and decomposition of the solid rocks 

 in their ueiglibourhood. One of the principal agen- 

 cies in effecting a gradual disintegration of solid 

 rocks is the oxygen of the atmosphere. "Oxygen 

 possesses a great affinity lor many mineral substances, 

 and has, consequently, a powerful tendency to 

 form new compounds, 'i'hose compounds, or oxydes, 

 being al.vays more voluminous, looser, and less com- 

 pact, arc the primary cause of the bursting of many 

 rocks, particularly of those containing much iron. In 

 the course of the formation of these oxydes, the com- 

 pact texture of the rock is broken up, and the whole 

 mass of the rock gradually crumbles down." 



Another and powerful agency in the formation of 

 soils is the carbonic acid of the atmosphere carried 

 down by rain. Limestone is easily attacked by rain 

 water, as the carbonic acid which the water contains 



dibbolvcs the carbonate of lime. "On feldspar, 

 gi'anite, and other minerals consisting of silicate of 

 alumina and an alkaline silicate, carbonic acid and 

 water exercise a highly important action. Under 

 their influence these minerals arc decomposed into 

 alkaline silicates, which in their turn give rise to 

 silica and carbonate of potash or soda, and into 

 silicate of alumina, or pure clay." 



The lower orders of plants and animals take a 

 veiy active part iu the formation of soil from solid 

 rocks. The seeds of lichens and mosses tloating in 

 the air attach themselves to the surfaces of rocks 

 which have become partially decomposed by the 

 action of the air and rain, as before described, and 

 finding here sufficient food, grow, thus keeping the 

 surface of the rock moist for a longer time alter rain, 

 and giving the water a better opportunity to exer- 

 cise its dissolving powers. Insects feed on the moss ; 

 and both insects and plants die and decay. A thin 

 layer of more fertile soil is thus formed, which is 

 soon taken possession of by a higher order of plants 

 and animals ; which in their turn die, leaving a better 

 estate to the succeeding generation. 



Mechanical causes, too, operate upon rocks. The 

 wind, thawing and freezing, and the principle of 

 gravitation, effect them more or less. — Rural New 

 Yorker. 



WHAT BECOMES OF THE BONES: THEIR USE AND 

 COMMERCIAL VALUE. 



Mr. Green, one of the many engaged in the 

 business of calcining bones iu New York, gives the 

 following information as to the use and value of 

 bones. Mr. Jones' boiling calcining establishment 

 is situated on the Jersey side of the Hudson, sixteen 

 miles up, nearly opposite Yonkers. To collect the 

 bones from the chiffiraniers he employs in this city 

 eight men, eight horses, and four carts. A labourer 

 invariably goes with each driver. The largest col- 

 lections are made in the Eleventh, Seventeenth, 

 Eighteenth, Nineteenth, Twentieth and Twenty- 

 first, AYards. They commence their rounds as early 

 as 7 a. ni., and by 1 p. m. the collections are deposit- 

 ed in the vessel that is to convey them from the 

 city. The law requires all the carts engaged in this 

 business to be boxed or covered with canvas. The 

 price paid for bones varies according to quality. 

 Thigh bones of bullocks rank first, as they are the 

 only bones iu an ox that are fit for turners' use ; 

 they are mostly manufactured into handles for tooth 

 brushes, the natural curve of the bone giving the 

 desired shape to that indispensable article for the 

 toilet. They are worth from ten to twelve cents 

 each. The jaw bones rank next, and are worth 18 

 dollars a thousand. The " short " bones, as they are 

 termed, such as leave the family table, are worth 

 from 40 to 50 cents a basket. To give some idea 

 of the amount of money paid for bones, when we 

 consider the number engaged iu the business of 

 bone-boiling, exclusive of the Barren Island business, 

 we will state that Mr. G. pays for bones in this city 

 alone an average of 1 00 dollars a day. The fore 

 leg and hoof are usually bought by manufacturers of 



glue, Peter Cooper being the heaviest purchaser of 

 this description of offal; and when they are done 

 with, they are sold to the bone dealers at two cents 

 a pound. The hoofs are disposed of at the rate of 

 40 dollars a ton, and are afterwards made into horn 

 buttons and Prussian blue. Horse hoofs and sheep 

 hoofs and horns are sold at 15 dollars a ton. 



On the arrival of the bones at the factory, the 

 thigh and jaw bones are sawn so as to admit of 

 the removal of the marrow. They are then thrown 

 into a vast cauldron, and boiled until all the marrow 

 and fatty substances attached to them are thoroughly 

 extracted. The fat is then skimmed oft' and placed 

 in coolers, and the bones are deposited in heaps for 

 assortment. The thigh bones are placed in one 

 heap for the turners : the jaws and other bones 

 suitable for buttons are placed in a second pile ; the 

 bones suitable for " bone black" come No. 3, and 

 the remainder are ground up for phosphates and ma- 

 nures. 



"Bone black" is used by sugar-refiners, and is 

 worth from 21 to 'i\ cents a pound. To judge of 

 the amount used in this city alone of this article, in 

 the eleven immense sugar reQueries in operation 

 here, it is only necessary to state that " Stuart's " 

 and the " Grocers' " refineries pay annually in the 

 neighbourhood, of the city 40,000 dollars a year 

 each for "bone black." 



Of classes Nos. 2 and 3 wc were furnished with 

 no reliable data. No. 2 is used in the mauufactuie 

 of ])hosphates. No. 3 is made into manure, and 

 sold at prices ranging from 38 to 55 cents a bushel. 



