ON MANURES, 165 



much less proportion of acid and water. The proportion must 

 be determined by the specific gravity. We take that, ranging 

 from 18.45 to 18.50. Four bushels of bone-dust will weigh 

 about 180 lbs. ; often less, rarely more. This contains carbo- 

 nate of lime, 121 lbs. About 10 lbs. of sulphuric acid is neces- 

 sary to convert this to gypsum. The quantity of phosphate of 

 lime, in the four bushels of bone-dust is about 106 lbs. To 

 change this into about half gypsum and half super-phosphate 

 of lime, will require about 33 lbs. of acid. Thus to 180 lbs. of 

 bone-dust not less than 43 lbs. of acid will be required. About 

 11 lbs. of water should be used. This raises the heat and thus 

 facilitates the solution. The water should be applied first, 

 with a watering pot, so as to completely moisten the bone- 

 dust. The bones becoming partially saturated, the acid, from 

 its great affinity for it, " rushes as it were, into the pores of 

 the bones in search of it," and thus the bones are more readily 

 acted upon. The best vessel for the purpose of mixture is an 

 old sugar hogshead, with its hole stopped up by plaster of 

 Paris. Great care should be taken in handling the acid, as it 

 is a dangerous substance — and carelessness may produce fear- 

 ful accidents. When no other manure is applied to a turnip 

 field — the above proportions — four bushels of bone-dust should 

 be applied — but the acid had better then be increased to 60 lbs. 

 to the four bushels. It will richly pay, however, to apply it 

 in the following proportions : — twenty bushels of ashes, a small 

 proportion of night-soil and four bushels of bone-dust treated 

 with 60 lbs. of acid and 15 lbs. of water. For turnips, espe- 

 cially Swedes, it is the most valuable and economical top- 

 dressing which can be used. In truth, it is the only manure 

 which can be relied on for Swedish turnips. This matter may 

 be regarded as conclusively settled. A very convenient way of 

 applying this manure, is in a liquid state, by means of a water 

 cart. Or, it may be mixed with the ashes, in the proportion 

 before mentioned and applied with a drill.] 



Composts. — The fermentation of bone naturally leads to the 

 consideration of the subject of forming a compost of hones with 

 earth and other substances, by a mixture with which they soon 

 become decayed and pulverized — a practice which is stated in 

 the Doncaster Report to have been recommended by several very 

 intelligent farmers, thirteen of whom, solely from the results of 

 their own experience, describe its eflects 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 clay, or good 



