MANURES. 41 



The bones are ground, or rather they are crushed, and re- 

 duced to a coarse powder, by being passed through cylinders 

 of a peculiar construction. Plaster mills are used by some in 

 this country. The most preferable form in which they can 

 be used is in that of a coarse powder. It is, however, the 

 opinion of many, that they are superior as a manure when 

 they have undergone a previous fermentation, which is easily 

 effected by placing them in a mass by themselves, as they will 

 speedily ferment. They may be also formed into composts 

 with earths, and thus allowed to ferment in the heap. We, 

 however, decidedly prefer its application in the form of powder. 



They may be applied in several ways to the ground. They 

 may be spread upon it by hand, or by machines constructed 

 for the purpose, or by apparatus attached to certain sowing 

 machines; when deposited at the same time with the seeds, if 

 by the drill, the quantity may be two quarts per acre. 



Bones constitute a very efficient and a comparatively cheap 

 manure. Stable manure, in Boston or Philadelphia, costs the 

 farmer in its first purchase, its transportation, and preparation 

 for the land not far from five dollars per cord. His land may 

 be manured with bone manure with equal advantage, and for a 

 third of the expense of stable manure; and its actual improve- 

 ment to the soil will be more permanent.* 



The lightness of carriage, its suitableness for the drill, and 

 its general fertilizing properties, render it peculiarly valuable. 

 The use of bones diminishes labour at a season of the year when 

 time is of the first importance, for one wagon load of drill bone- 

 dust is equal to forty or fifty loads of fold manure. 



In England, bone manure is generally applied to the turnip 

 crop, that crop commonly preceding wheat. The effect is very 

 great, causing lands which had been comparatively barren, to 

 produce a crop, and not only pushing the crop several days in 

 advance of that manured with stable manure, but also greatly 

 increasing the product. 



They have been used with signal advantage spread upon 

 grass land; the feed being greatly improved, and the return 

 from the stock fed upon it, in milk and butter through the 

 season, very much increased.! The Farmer's Cabinet, vol. iii. 

 p. 17, contains a very interesting communication from SAMUEL 

 W. SMITH, on the superiority of bone manure, over all others, 

 in the culture of the turnip. The experiment is detailed with 

 a good deal of^recision. See Appendix B. 



Its effects upon the production of wheat in Great Britain 

 have been thus stated, after careful observation, compared with 



* Rev. HENRY COLMAK, Massachusetts. t Ibid. 

 4* 



