714 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



the atmosphere ammonia may be decomposeii and 

 give rise to thclbrmalion of nitric acid, so in ihf 

 Boil this acid may result from a similar decompo- 

 Gition, proceeding more slowly, but accordinji lo 

 the same natural laws. In warm climates, indeed, 

 it appears certain that the ammonia which is 

 evolved or lormed during the decay ol animal and 

 vege able substances, does speedily, and to a great 

 exteni, undergo oxidation,* and thus give rise to 

 the greater abundance of nitric acid with which 

 the tropical soils abound. 



Thus, in the economy of nature, much ammonia 

 is decomposed in the soil also, and hence anoiher 

 cause lot the constant diminution of the quantity 

 ol this compound— in addition lo those already de- 

 tailed in the preceding section. 



But, besides the portion of this nitric acid which 

 owes its existence to the decomposiiion of ammo- 

 nia, much— by far the greatest portion, in all pro- 

 bability — derives its origin from the union ol the 

 elements of tiie atmosphere itself This direci 

 imion is effected in the air, as has been already 

 shown by the agency ol atmospheric electricity; 

 but it also lakes place in the soil during the oxi- 

 dation of the other elements contained in the 

 oriranic matters which are i here undergoing decay. 

 The combination of the elements of ammonia in 

 euch circumstances proceeds on the principle— 

 that bodies, themselves undergoing oxidation, 

 dispose oiher substances in contact with them (in 

 this instance the nitrogen of the air) lo unite with 

 oxyiren also. The presence of lime, potash, &.C., 

 in the soil, lurlher induces to this oxidation, hy 

 the tendency of these substances lo combini". with 

 the acid, which is formed by thi^ union ol the 

 elements of which nitric acid consists. 



It IS impossible precisely to estimate the quan- 

 tity of nitric acid produced in these various ways, 

 through these various agents, and in these varied 

 circumsiances ; or to balance it accurately against 

 the amount of ammonia continually reproduced, 

 as we have seen, in nature, wherever the neces- 

 sary ccndiiions present ihemselves. But, as I 

 formerly concluded, that the amount of nitric acid 

 actually existing in the superficial deposiies of our 

 globe is greater than that of ammonia, so I ihink 

 that, in regard to the reproduciion also of these 

 two compounds, the balance is in liivor of the 

 former. 



Since, then, nitric acid is fined by the eolubiliiy 

 of its compounds to enter into the circulation ol 

 plants in any quantity— since, when applied to 

 them, it does undoubtedly promote, in a remark- 

 able degree, the growth of plants— and since, in 

 nature, Tl is continually reprotluced in every coun- 

 try, and under such varied circumstances— I 

 cannot withhold myself from the conclusion, ihat, 

 over the general vegetation of the globe, it ho'ds 

 with ammonia at least an equal sway, and is ap- 

 pointed to exercise at least an equal influence over 

 the <irowth of plants, both in their natural and in 

 their culiivated state. 



Still the influence of each is not unvaried by 

 locality or by climate. The extent ol dominion 

 exercised by the nitrates probably diminishes as 



• For the perfect oxidation of 1 of ammonia no 

 less than 8 of oxygen are required. Thus— 

 1 of 1 of 3 of 



A mmonia. Nitric Acid. Water. 



N H3 + 8 O = N 05 + 3 il O 



we recede from the equator, while that of ammonia 

 increases — it may be in an equal proportion. 



BONES — BOXE DUST — CUUSHED BOKES. 



From the New England Farmer. 

 Our pages have contained for the last few 

 weeks, more articles upon bone manure than any 

 oiher topic. The reason ol this in simply a con- 

 viction that this means of enriching the sod ie not 

 sutTicienily regarded. Having made ute of crush- 

 ed bones lor various crops, and ajiplied them un- 

 der various I'lrcumstanccs, and ihis not in one 

 year only, but in 1838, '39 and '41 ; and having 

 seen their effects not upon the first crop merely, 

 bui upon two and three subsequent ones, we set 

 a high value upon them. It is our Imeniion to 

 use them more extensively the next season than 

 we have done belore, and lor the single reason, 

 that v^'hen we sit down and with pencil and pa- 

 per figure up cost and efficacy, we find this a 

 chea()er manure than any other that we can buy. 



The results of our experiments have in part 

 been made public in ilie Transactions of ihe Es- 

 sex Agricultural Society fur 1838, and in the back 

 numbers of the N. E. Farmer. There is no oc- 

 casion to repeat them here. Our purfjose in this 

 article is not so much to prove their vvorih, as to 

 give some cautions and directions in regard to the 

 use of them, and suggest a mode by which the 

 farmer may luin to good account those which he 

 is daily removing from his table, or which he ob- 

 tains irom the heads and legs of the animals which 

 he slaughters, or may gel Irom such animals as he 

 loses by death. 



In England forty and fifty bushels of crushed 

 bone are applied to an acre. But it is unsafe for 

 us to tbilow their example. Their climate is vastly 

 more moist than our.j, and their cuhivaled soil is 

 generally much heavier. Heating manures may 

 profitably be applied by them in quantities which 

 would burn up the crop in our summers. Bones 

 are obviously verj' heating ; and we are satisfied 

 that where they have been used in this vicinity, 

 the quantity applied has been too great. We shall 

 not in future use more than twenty bushels upon 

 an acre, and generally shall use much less than 

 that. They nmst be used as aids to common ma- 

 nures, and 10 muck and sand. And that their in- 

 fluences upon the muck and upon the silex in the 

 sand may be liiirly brouijht out, ashes or the lie of 

 ashes should be one ol the ingredients in the com- 

 post heap. Let ihem be well lirmented, and then 

 apply them sparingly. The fermentaiion, how- 

 ever, is not designed to make the bones themselves 

 directly act with more power upon the soil ; but it 

 is to weaken them hy making them give out a por- 

 tion of their fertilizing properties to the muck, or 

 3oil, or sand with which they are mixed, and thus 

 enable you to spread the bone in a diluted state. 



Such bones as are usually ground have pre- 

 viously been boiled, and as much of the oily and 

 gelatinous matter has been taken from them as 

 boiling can remove. One might at first imagine 

 that bones thus treated would be found of biit little 

 value. The matters extracted by the soapboiler 

 are unquestionably good fertilizers, but the phos- 

 phate of lime is the property in the bone that con- 

 I slitutes its greatest value as a manure — aud this 



