204 . BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Dr. Nichols. Yes, sir, you might take that as a standard. I 

 generally take bone dust as a standard, because that has a fixed 

 value. 



J. F. C. Hyde. You speak of pure bone dust, I suppose. 

 "Wiiat can a farmer afford to give for pure flour of bone ? 



Dr. Nichols. He can afford to use it if it does not cost him 

 over forty dollars a ton. I do not think it can be used profitably 

 at sixty dollars a ton. 



Mr. Goodman. Is not that very easily adulterated ? 



Dr. Nichols. Oh, sir, very easily. They grind the common 

 oyster shell and mix it with the bone dust very largely. I have 

 obtained from a Boston company pure bone dust, but I do not 

 say that they are going to deliver pure bone dust to every- 

 body. 



Mr. Wetherell. Would you apply that to the soil without 

 anything else ? 



Dr. Nichols. Yes, sir, you can do that with advantage. It 

 undergoes decomposition very readily. In this fine state, you 

 would want to use judgment in applying it. I should not apply 

 fine bone dust to a very dry field. I should rather select one 

 that was moderately moist. Still, I have had very excellent 

 success with fine bone upon dry fields. 



Mr. Wetherell. Do you apply it to ploughed land or grass 

 land? * . • 



Dr. Nichols. I should use it on both grass and ploughed 

 land. Allow me to make one remark, which I think may be of 

 some service. I have found the greatest difficulty in determin- 

 ing the best method of applying these fertilizers. There is a 

 great deal in little things. For instance, I have said to my 

 farmer friends, " You put in with your corn a handful of a 

 mixture of l)one dust and ashes ; " and when I have, met them 

 again, they have said, " It burned my corn up." " How did 

 you put it in?" ' " Why, I simply threw it in." " And you 

 put your corn upon it?" "Yes, sir." Of course a highly 

 stimulating manure like that will destroy the germ of the corn. 

 " Now," said I, " spread it upon your soil, kick a little dirt over 

 it, and your corn will germinate, and as soon as the little roots 

 start, they will push right down to find that material, and your 

 corn will do finely." 



In applying this bone to fields you should not apply it in such 



