206 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



found ill the lime and soda, but others have found equally good 

 results from simply mixing together bones, ashes and water, so 

 that the potash could act upon the bones. 



Dr. Nichols. I liave been so much troubled to procure ashes, 

 that I have not been able to use more than the same quantity of 

 ashes as bone. I should prefer to use two bushels of ashes to 

 one of bone. In the mixing of tliis compound you need a 

 definite quantity of water in order to make it convenient to 

 handle. If you put in too much it becomes pasty. I think 

 about two buckets of water sufficient for the mixture. 



Mr. Davis, of Northborough. I want to get your opinion upon 

 this point: farmers can buy shorts and wheat bran for about 

 twenty-four dollars a ton ; they can buy Indian meal for thirty- 

 six or thirty-eight dollars a ton. Now, what I want to know is, 

 whether it is not better to throw aside all these chemical 

 manures, and buy shorts and meal, and feed them to the stock 

 on your farm, and enrich your manures in that way, then you 

 know what you have. I want to cut the knot directly. 



Dr. Nichols. Well, sir, I presume all good farmers who feed 

 a good quantity of grain to their cattle and good hay, are very 

 well aware that the grain adds value to their manure. 



Mr. Boise, of Blandford. I have at my command a large 

 number of the skulls of slaughtered animals that have been 

 accumulating for a number of years, and the question has been 

 how to dispose of them. We can use wood ashes, for wood is 

 burned wholly in our locality. I think you have suggested that 

 bones might be burned. I would like to ask the relative value 

 of burnt bones compared with bones packed with ashes, and 

 decomposed in that manner ? 



Dr. Nichols. Well, sir, by burning you remove the gelatine 

 of the bone, and lose all that nitrogenous portion, which is a 

 very valuable portion to retain. If you could take the bones to 

 a plaster mill and have them ground down, I should advise you 

 to do so. ' 



Mr. Boise. There is no plaster mill within ten miles of me, 

 and I find it takes a long time to work them down with ashes. 



Dr. Nichols. In order to dissolve bones in ashes, a littlo 

 experience and manipulating skill are rc(iuircd. You want to 

 put them into a shallow 1)0X, and give them ashes enough to 

 operate upon them. You can do it in that way with great 



