Manuring Grass Lands. 205 



turf, and had l^ecn in the occupation of the proprietors for a 

 long- time previous to my becoming tenant. The extent of the 

 land in question was little more than twenty acres. 



About the year 1790 the then proprietor had all the bones lie 

 could obtain in a commercial locality collected together, and 

 broken with a heavy hammer. No account was kept of the 

 quantity or value used on a given surface, but there is sufficient 

 evidence to show that an unusual dressing was given. 



The soil is of a close, tenacious character, lying on a clayey 

 subsoil. The subsoil did not contain calcareous earth, at least 

 it did not effervesce with the spirit of salts (muriatic acid). 

 Some parts of the land had a more porous substratum, and 

 were sufficiently dry for pasture : these particular parts were 

 undoubtedly the most fertile land in the district. Such of 

 the surface as was wet had scarcely any other vegetable covering 

 than the carex and others of the coarsest grasses. It is perhaps 

 proper here to state that this bone-dusted land has not been 

 broken up or in tillage for a very long period. On becoming 

 tenant, I immediately set about draining the Avet parts. In this 

 operation we found, at from five to eight inches from the surface, 

 much bone, in various states of decomposition : the large pieces, 

 when broken, appeared fresh inside. I felt at the time some 

 regret that much value must have been lost for many years, and, 

 as I then supposed, for ever lost, on account of the manure 

 having been in a soil saturated with water ever since it had been 

 laid on ; however, before my draining operation had been com- 

 pleted twelve months, the coarse herbage began to disappear, 

 and in its place appeared white clover, marl clover, and others of 

 the best pasture grasses ; and in the second summer after being 

 drained the soil was equally luxuriant with the naturally dry parts 

 of the land. It is now nearlv seventy years since this land was 

 boned, and it is still markedly luxuriant beyond any other grass 

 land in the same district, 



A great improvement by bone manure was effected by Captain 

 De Hollenworth, of Hollenworth Hall, Cheshire, between the years 

 1840 and 1843. In those three years about 1500/. was expended 

 on bones, principally boiled, and about 4/. in value was used to 

 the acre. Boiled bones at that time cost 4/. per ton ; raw broken 

 bones, 11. per ton. The land where the manure was used is 

 nearly 600 feet above the sea; old turf; the climate does not 

 mature corn well ; character of the soil various, some peaty, 

 on aluminous shale or stone ; other parts a lightish grey soil, on 

 aluminous slaty stone. It v/as on the latter description of soil 

 that the bones effected the greatest change. The grass has 

 sometimes been eaten off, and sometimes mown for hay. The 

 quality of the herbage Avas totally changed within the first two 



