BONES. 



(System of Chem. vol. iv. p. 319), "phosphate 

 of 'lime is a constant ingredient in plants." 



The cultivator of the soil will not be incre- 

 dulous as to the power of vegetables to dissolve 

 and feed upon the hard substance of the 

 crushed bones of animals, when he is remind- 

 ed that the ashes of the straw of wheat are 

 composed of 61^ percent, of silica (flint), a 

 still harder substance than the hardest bone. 

 And this is not a solitary instance ; for the 

 same earth abounds in a still greater propor- 

 tion in the straw of other grain. Vauquelin 

 found 60J per cent, of it in the ashes of the 

 seeds of the oat; and the Dutch rush contains 

 it in such abundance that it is employed by 

 the turner to polish wood and even brass. 



To the mode and effect of applying bones 

 as a manure, either whole, broken, or in a 

 state of powder, the Doncaster Agricultural 

 Association paid considerable attention, and 

 they have made a very valuable report of the 

 result of their inquiries, in which they say: 

 "The returns received by the Association sa- 

 tisfactorily establish the great value of bones 

 as a manure. Our correspondents, with only 

 two exceptions, all concur in stating them to 

 be a highly valuable manure, and on light dry 

 soils superior to farm-yard dung and all other 

 manures. In copying the language of one of 

 them, in reference to dry sandy soils, we ex- 

 press the opinions repeated in a far greater 

 number 'I consider bone tillage one of the 

 most useful manures which has ever been dis- 

 covered for the farmer's benefit. The light- 

 ness of carriage, its suitableness for the drill, 

 and its general fertilizing properties, render it 

 peculiarly valuable in those parts where dis 

 tance from towns renders it impossible to pro- 

 cure manures of a heavier and more bulky 

 description.' For, as stated by another far 

 mer, the carting of six, eight, or ten loads of 

 manure per acre is no trifling expense. The 

 use of bones diminishes labour at a season of 

 the year when time is of the first importance ; 

 for one wagon load, or 120 bushels of small 

 drill bone-dust is equal to forty or fifty loads 

 of fold manure. Upon very thin sand land its 

 value is not to be estimated ; it not only is 

 found to benefit the particular crop to which 

 it is applied, but extends through the whole 

 course of crops." The report adds, that bones 

 have been found highly beneficial on the lime- 

 stone soils near Doncaster, on peaty soils, anc 

 on light loams ; but that on the heavy soils and 

 on clay they produce no benefit. The late Mr 

 George Sinclair, of New Cross, has given 

 (Trans. High. Sue. vol. i. p. 78), the analysis of 

 two soils on which bone manure producec 

 very opposite results. 400 parts of the soil on 

 which the bone manure had very beneficia 

 effects consisted of 



Parts. 



Silicious sand ------ 167 



Calcareous sand ----- 43 



Water of absorption -----' 



Animal and vegetable matter 24 



Carbonate of lime ----- 25 



Silica (Mint) 23 



Alumina (clay) 



Oxide of iron 



Soluble vegetable and animal matter 



Moisture and loss ----- 2 



400 



19f 



BONES, 



The soil on * nich the bone manure had n 

 uch beneficial effect, contained, in 400 parts, 



Partt. 

 Calcareous sand and gravel (nearly pure 



carbonate of lime) ----- 217 

 Animal and vegetable matters 17 



Carbonate of lime ----- 39 



Silica - 85 



Alumina -------20 



Oxide of iron ------ 5 



Soluble matter with gypsum 4 



Moisture or loss ----- 13 



400 



The mode of applying them, adds the Don- 

 aster Report, is either by sowing broadcast or 

 y the drill ; either by themselves, or, what is 

 nuch better, previously mixed with earth and 

 ermented. Bones which have been thus fer- 

 nentcd are decidedly superior to those which 

 have not been so. Mr. Turner, of Tring, 

 .dopted the practice of mixing with his bone- 

 dust an equal quantity of the dung of the 

 sheep, collected for the express purpose, at an 

 expense of 2e?. per bushel for labour. He 

 repared the mixture in winter, by laying the 

 sheep-dung in heaps with the crushed bones, 

 and allowing them to ferment together for 

 some months. By this plan the two manures 

 are thoroughly incorporated, and he considers 

 hat thirty-five bushels of the mixture are fully 

 equal in effect to twenty-five bushels of the 

 Dones. (My Essay on Crushed Bones, p. 14.) 

 The quantity applied per acre is about twenty- 

 five bushels of bone-dust and forty bushels of 

 large broken bones. The dust is best for im- 

 mediate profit; the broken half-inch bones for 

 more continued improvement. Mr. Birks says, 

 " If I were to till for early profit, I would use 

 bones powdered as small as saw-dust ; if J 

 wished to keep my land in good heart, I woul' 

 use principally half-inch bones, and in breaP 

 ing these I should prefer some remaining cor 

 siderably larger." The reason for this is very 

 obvious; the larger the pieces of bone, the 

 more gradually will a given bulk dissolve in 

 the soil. 



Crushed bones are employed with decided 

 success for turnips. The ease with which they 

 are applied by the drill, the ample nourishment 

 they afford the young plants, on the very poor- 

 est soils, and the avidity with which the roots 

 of the turnip encircle and mat themselves 

 around the fragments of crushed bone,' clearly 

 evinces how grateful the manure is to this 

 valuable crop. The evidence in its favour is 

 copious, and decisive of its merits. In a re- 

 cent report of the East Lothian Agricultural 

 Society, Mr. John Brodie, of Aimsfield Mains, 

 has given the result of his experiments upon 

 the comparative cost of crushed bones and 

 other commonly employed manure for tur- 

 nips, which is worthy of attention : 



1st exp. 20 cart loads of street dung, per Scotch 

 acre, at 5s. 6d. per load - - - - - 5 10 



2d exp. half a ton of rape-dust, at 110s. 

 three quarters crushed bones, at 19s. 2 17 



3d exp. 16 loads of farm-yard dung at 7. - - 5 12 

 "The whole turnips," says Mr. Brodie, 

 "brairded beautifully, and from the first to 

 the time of lifting, it was impossible to decide 

 which was the weightiest crop I therefor* 



