310 TALKS ON MAXDRKS. 



acid. Ami so a farna-r who raises a ton of tiinotliy-hay per arro, 

 and sells if, sends olT as nuub phosphoric acitl in one year as such 

 a Cheshire dairyman as I iiave alluded lo did in fourteen years. 



Wiiat tile dairymen want, and what farmers generally want, is 

 nitroi^en and phospiioric acid. Bone-dust furnishes both, and this 

 was the reason of its wonderful effects. 



It does not follow from this, that bone-dust is the cheapest and 

 Itest manure we can use. It is an ohl and popular manure, and 

 usually commands a good j)rice. It sells for all it is worth. A 

 dozen years airo, I i)ou>;ht ten tons of iMmc-dust at |18 per ton. I 

 have otFired $25 per ton since for a similar lot, but the mauufac- 

 turiTs timl a market in New York for ail tluy can make. 



Bone-dust, l)e.sides nitroi^cn, contains about 23 per cent of 

 l)liosphoric acid. 



"That does not give me," said the Deacon, " any idea of its 

 value." 



" Let us put it in another shape, then," .said I. " One ton of good 

 bon«-dust contains about as much nitrogen as 8i tons of fresh 

 stable-manure, and as much phosphoric acid as 110 tons of fresh 

 stal)le-iuanure. But one ton of manure contains more potash than 

 5 tons of bone-dust. 



Bone-dust, like barnyard-manure, does not imrai-diately yield 

 up its nitrogen ami phosphoric acid to plants. The bone phosphate 

 of lime is insoluble in water, and but very slightly .soluble in 

 water containing carbonic acid. The gelatine of the bones would 

 .';oon decompose in a moi.st, porous, warm soil, provided it was 

 not protected by tlie oil and by the hard matter of the bones. 

 Steaming, by removing the oil, removes one of the hindrances to 

 deconjposition. Reducing the Itonos as fine as possible is another 

 means of increasing thi'ir av.iilaliility. 



Another good method of increasing the availability of bone-dust 

 is to mix it with barnyard-manure, and let both ferment together 

 in a heap. I am inclined to think this the best, simplest, and 

 most economical method of rendering bone-dust available. The 

 bone-dust causes the lieap of manure to ferment more readily, and 

 the fermentation of the manure softens the bones. Both the ma- 

 nure and the bones are improved and rendered richer and more 

 available by the process. 



Another method of increasing the availability of bone-dust is by 

 mixing it with sulplmric acid. 



