Proceediags of the Faemens^ Club. 717 



Bones ano Bone Grinding. 



Mr. J, B. Lyman read tlie following jjaper: Farmers generally 

 understand that if they can apply all the fertilizing matters wliich 

 are contained in the bones directly to their soils they will give most 

 plants the most appropriate and lasting food. The difficulties in bone 

 manure are two fold. First : The phosphoric acid is so locked up 

 chemically with lime and mechanically with glue, that a process 

 either expensive or lengthy is re(piired to tit them for doing their 

 utmost good. Second : No business permits such frauds. "What the 

 community requires is a bone dust either ground very fine, so as to 

 dissolve readily, or prepared for use with acid, and confidence in the 

 ])one grinder that he does not mix plaster, or vegetable ivor}^ or 

 chalk, or salt cake, to any considerable extent with the substance he 

 sells as bone m.eal. 



A bone as it comes from the butclier or th« kitchen contains tln-ee 

 substances of considerable value. The marrow and tlie particles of 

 tatty flesh give tallow useful in the arts, and especially in soap-nuik- 

 ing. Tliis tallow is of no use as a fertilizer, but, on the contrary, 

 covers the particle of bone with a film that renders them slow and 

 inert in the soil. Hence, bones that have been lyjiled at a niodei-ate 

 heat, so as to throw the oil to the surface, are not injured for farm 

 uses. The white or boiled bone contains glue closely knit with the 

 lime, but a high heat will repel this glue and bring it to the surtace, 

 so it can l)e removed. So there are two sorts of boiled bones, those 

 from which the oil only lias been removed, and those from wliich most 

 of the glue has been repelled. This glue is in its nature like flesh. 

 It contains ammonia, and this is the most prompt and active of fertili- 

 zers. Yet because volatile it does not help any crop but the first to 

 which it is applied. After the oil and the glue have been driven out, 

 there remains a chalky substance which cruml)les quite easily. It is 

 composed maiiil}' of phosphate of lime. If sulphuric acid is ajiplied 

 the lime leaves this union, and the result is sulphate of lime and 

 phosphoric acid, substances which plants can make immediate use of. 

 The fineness of bone-grinding makes a great difterence in the quick- 

 ness with which it acts. A l)it of bone as big as a pea will remain 

 many years unchanged in the earth, and afibrds ])lant f uxl very 

 slowly. Wlicii in this state of fineness it is useful as an ap])lic;ition 

 to vines and orchards, as it feeds the roots slowly and stt-adily for 

 many years. But if it is desirable to juisli a crop rapidly, that is to 

 get the benefit of the bone within three months of its application, it 



