326 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 6 



on which the bone manure had such beneficial ef- 

 fects, contained in 400 parts : — 



Fine siliceous sand, 167 parts ; calcareous 



sand, 43; water of absorption, 99 - 

 Decomposing animal and vegetable matter, > 

 destructible by fire - - - 5 



Carbonate of lime (impalpable) 

 Silicia, or the pure earth of flints 

 Alumina, or the pure matter of clay 

 Oxide of iron ------ 



Soluble animal and vegetable matter prin- ^ 

 cipally vegetable extract, with indica- > 

 tions of muriate of soda - - j 

 Moisture and loss 



309 



24 



25 



23 



9 



3 



400 



217 



17 



That on the land of Mr. Evans, jun., on which 

 the bone manure appeared to have no beneficial 

 eflect, consisted ol": — 



Calcareous sand and gravel, nearly pure ) 



carbonate of lime - - - > 



Decomposing animal and vegetable matters, ) 



destructible by fire - - - ) 



Carbonate of lime (impalpable) - - 39 



Silicia 85 



Alumina 20 



Oxide of iron ------ 5 



Soluble matter, principally vegetable ex- 

 tract, with sulphate of lime, or gypsum 

 Moisture, or loss 13 



400 



On which he remarks, that "the striking and es- 

 sentia] point of difference between these two soils 

 consists in the carbonate of Ume. In the soil so 

 much benefited by the bone manure, carbonate of 

 lime is deficient, while in the soil so benefited by 

 it, the carbonate of lime is almost in excess ; at 

 least, had it not been so much in the form of gra- 

 vel and sand, the soil would have been what is 

 termed cold. The differences, also, between these 

 two soils, in the coarseness and fineness of their 

 sand and gravel, and the superior quantity of alu- 

 mina, or clay, in calcareous soil, should not be 

 overlooked." 



The quantity applied to the siliceous sandy soil, 

 where the bones had such beneficial effects, was 

 36 bushels per acre, partly supplied from the dog- 

 kennel, and partly purchased. On the calcareous 

 soils, they were applied in a large quantity, and 

 also in a recent state ; on which Mr. S. observes, 

 that "animal matter being so much more easily 

 decomposed than vegetable matter, the recent 

 bones must afford nutriment to the soA very spee- 

 dily ;'' yet he adds, "that he has always found that 

 both animal and vegetable matter, before they be- 

 come beneficial to an immediate crop, require a 

 first stage of decomposition, and that this degree 

 of fermentation or decomposition is best effected 

 before these substances are applied to the land." 



This accords with the report of the Doncaster 

 Association, in which it is said "to be acknow- 

 ledged by their correspondents to be a prevalent 

 opinion among intelligent fivrmers, that manufac- 

 tured bones are equal in their effect to raw bones ;" 

 in proof of which they instance the following ex- 

 periments : — 



Twenty-four acres having been boned at the 

 rate of 50 bushels per acre, [)art with bones which 

 had the oil stewed out of them, another part 

 with bones which were fliU of marrow, and a 



third part with horses' bones having much flesh 

 upon them. The crop, which was turnips, was 

 all good, but the next crop, where the fleshy bones 

 were laid, was not so good. 



Broken bones fresh li-om dog-kennels were 

 spread on a newly-plouirhed clover ley of high 

 sand land, at the rate of 80 bushels per acre, and 

 on the followitig day sown and harrowed in with 

 wheat; but the crop was bad, and no advantage 

 was observed to be derived from the bones in the 

 succeeding crops. The same experiment was re- 

 peated upon a piece of fallow in BIyth Forest, 

 sown with turnips, with similar results ; but the 

 same gentleman having sent bones from the dog- 

 kennels to be broken, and then laid upon a heap, 

 and covered with earth, in which state they re- 

 mained for about a month, after which they were 

 laid upon turnips : their good effects were visible 

 on every yard on which they spread, being the 

 largest and the best turnips in the field, although 

 the other part was manured from the farm-yard, 

 where a considerable quantity of oil-cake had 

 been consumed. 



These experiments certainly tend to confirm the 

 fact, that fermentation is requisite to give imme- 

 diate effect to bones as manure, which is only in 

 accordance with the chemical principles applica- 

 ble to all animal substances ; for we all know, that 

 although flesh, if buried in the earth, will not pro- 

 duce any benefit to the land until it is decomposed, 

 yet that object once attained, its fertilizing powers 

 are instantly brought into force ; but we cannot 

 admit that this warrants the conclusion, "that man- 

 ufactured bones are equal in their effect to raw 

 bones." They may indeed be superior on a first 

 application ; and we make no doubt that when 

 thrown together and rendered putrid, they will be- 

 come more promptly available than if they had 

 undergone no fermentation whatever. Yet we 

 feel persuaded, both from the nature of animal 

 matter as manure, as well as from much inquiry 

 regarding the practical application of bones, that 

 when deprived by manufacture of the gelatin and 

 oil which they contain, their improvement of the 

 land will not be so durable as when they are laid 

 on raw, or after fermentation when collected in a 

 fresh state.* Many farmers are thus imposed 

 upon by dealers ; but the bones are sold to those 

 who are aware of their real value, lor much less 

 than the price of those from which the oily sub- 

 stance has been extracted. 



Composts. 



The fermentation of bone naturally leads to the 

 consideration of the subject of forming a compost 

 of bones loiih earth and other substances, by a mix- 

 ture with which they soon become decayed and 

 pulverized — a practice which is stated in the Don- 

 caster report to have been reconmicnded by seve- 

 ral very intelligent farmers, thirteen of whom, 

 solely from the result of their own experience, de- 

 scribe its effects as superior to those of bones used 

 singly. With some of these, it is the practice to 

 mix 50 bushels of bones with 5 loads of burnt 



* Besides the various modes already in use of draw- 

 ing oil and spirits from bones and liorn, the cotton 

 manufacturers in Lancashire are said to have lately 

 used a glutinous substance, extracted from bones, in 

 the fabrication of the weft of their low-pnced cloth; 

 and there are now a number of manufactories of this 

 newly-discovered matter. 



