278 



MO?."THLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE, 



are to a cerUiin extent neiiti-alized, at least so 

 far as the first crop is considered ; and we ai-e 

 consequently obliged to supply five or six 

 times as much as the crop actually roquii-es, 

 and to render them availaljle by means of 

 pulverization. It is on this principle that the 

 assistance of sulphuric acidiis sought lor and 

 obtained : it serves by its chemical affinities 

 to separate the component parts of the bones, 

 and render them more soluble and available 

 as food for plants. In the excellent and ac- 

 curate experiments of Mr. Hamiam, related 

 in a fonner number of the Journal, it was 

 clearly proved tliat fresh bones when ground 

 were superior to boiled ones, fi'om which the 

 fat was exti-acted ; and the latter were supe- 

 rior to burnt bones, fi-om ■which the gelatine 

 was also removed. This result was, how- 

 ever, far more striking when the Itones were 

 dissolved in sulphuric acid, a difference of 

 nearly two tons of turnips being obsen'cd, 

 while with the bones merely gi'ound a ditler- 

 ence of 17 cwt. only was exhibited. From 

 the same expeinment we likewise leani that 

 the beneficial effects derived from the eailhy 

 part of bones are 4J times gi'eater than that 

 derived from the organic parts. I refer to 

 the Journal for the particulars of these ex- 

 periments, and to the previous number for 

 other state7nents. from wliich, if we had no 

 other evidence, we should be justified in 

 drawing the conclusion that 20s. laid out in 

 bones and acid will go much farther than 40s. 

 expended in bones alone, so fai' us the tuniip 

 crop is concerned.* 



These experiments, however, appear to 

 have been made with the addition of a veiy 

 considerable quantity of water, so as to ap- 

 ply the manure to the land in a liquid state, 

 winch, without denying its superiority, is yet 

 attended with such difficulty, ti-ouble, and 

 inconvenience, that it is vain to expect that 

 farmers generally would uicur it. The ex- 

 pense of a proper cart for the application of 

 this manure in a liquid state is veiy consider- 

 able, and sufficient to prevent its general 

 adoption. And, although it was in tins form 

 that the ]ml)lic were first made accpiainted 

 with its valuable properties, yet its general 

 adoption must be attributed to the additional 

 discovery that it can readily be applied in 

 the state of compost by means of the conunon 

 di'ill. Having (Urected my attention to the 

 preparation and employment of this valuable 

 manure in the form of compost, I am in a jio- 

 sition to state that by its means one-lialf the 

 usual expense in the purchase of bones may 

 be saved. 



We cimnot. however, do better than take 

 as our text, or rather llie hi-ads of our sub- 

 ject, the points to which the attention of com- 

 petitors are drawn V)y the Council of the 



* Mny wo not expect somelliing like the same re- 

 sult when applied to other plmits of largo leaves— as 

 Indian corn, and tobacco, and clover ? We should 

 be glad to attract to this suliject the attention of 

 friend IIollowcl, or hh: Teschciuucher. [£d. F. Lib. 

 (566) 



Royal Agricultural Society of England, which 

 are — 



1. State of Bones. 



2. Proportion of acid in a given weight of 

 bones. 



3. Proportion of water, if any, mixed with 

 the acid. 



4. Mode of mixing the bones with tlie acid 

 and of preparing the compost. 



.5. Effect of various quantities applied in 

 comliinarion or comparison with common 

 bones and other known manures. 



1. First, then, the state of the bones — with 

 regard to which I have merely to observe 

 that they should be as fine as possible, but 

 the ordiiiaiy state of Ijone-dust will answer 

 the purpose veiT well. The dust is decidedly 

 preferable to half-inch bones, f(jr, while the 

 increased weight of the former will compen- 

 sate for its greater price, the points of contact 

 being greatly increased by subdivision, the 

 bones are more rapidly and more perfectly 

 acted on by the acid, and require, in fact, a 

 less cpiantity both of that and of water. 



We next come to the second and more im- 

 portant point. 



2. The proportion of sulphuric or muriatic 

 acid to a given weight of bones. 



Sulphuric acid is preferable to muriatic 

 acid for several reasons : it is stronger, cheap- 

 er, has greater specific gravit>% and contains 

 much less water. On mixing it with water, 

 a much higher temperature is attained, which 

 conduces to the dissolving process, particu- 

 larly of the organic portion of the bones. In 

 addition to these reasons, we find that in the 

 trials which have been made, muriatic acid 

 has been found somewhat inferior. I have, 

 however, been rather surprised that there 

 should not have been a more decided differ- 

 ence than proved to be the case in Mr. Han- 

 nam's experiments ; and we can oidy account 

 for this by bearing in mind that the lowest 

 proportion of mtniatic acid employed was 

 one-half which was perhaps sufficient to af- 

 fect idl the phosphate of lime contained in the 

 bones, whereas, if one-third had Ijeen em- 

 ployed, as was tried with the sulphuric acid, 

 the result might not have been so favorable 

 for the muriatic acid. Besides this, probably 

 the muriate of lime formed by the nniriatic 

 acid is more fertilizing and soluble than su!- 

 j)hate of lime fonned by tlie sulphuric acid ; 

 and, from its great attraction for moisture, 

 particularly advantageous in such a diy sea- 

 son as that of 1844. It is, therefore, by no 

 meiuis improbable that an equal quantity of 

 bones i)iepared .^separately with the two acids, 

 and .iflerwaid mixed together, might be more 

 jiroductive than bones prepared with either 

 acid alone. 



The proportion of sulphuric acid most de- 

 siial)ie to enq)loy is a veiy important j)oint, 

 inasmuch as it has been shown that sulphin-ic 

 acid aloni\ or mixed willi water, jiossesses 

 very little HMtiliziiig powers. This, probiil)ly, 

 is owing to the circumstance of the soil gen- 

 erally containing a sufficiency of this element, 



