1G8 



NEW ENGLAND FARMJ:R. 



Apiul 



throw into it the bones, along with sufficient 

 wood to kiiidlo them ; and by igniting the 

 wood, the boni'!* will readily take fire and burn 

 to whiteness. In this state they are brittle, 

 and ean be ground in a bark, plaster or grist- 

 mill. The organie matter, or the gelatine, is 

 destnned in this proeess, and the bones lose 

 about twenty-seven per eent. in weight. 



To eonvert the bone ash into suj)erphos- 



f)hate, proeure two or three good sound ukj- 

 asses casks, divide them iu the middle with a 

 saw, and into each half put two hundred 

 pounds of the powder moistened with a couple 

 of buckets of water. A eonunon hoe may be 

 used to turn over and mix the powder and 

 water, and also it may be used to stir up the 

 mass after the acid is added. Oil of vitriol or 

 sulphuric acid should be j)urchast-d in carboys, 

 and the common conunercial strength is suita- 

 ble, that of specific gravity 1.70, or 140'^ 

 Twaddell. A stone pitcher holding a gallon 

 is a suitable vessel in which to i-eceive and 

 measure the acid ; and in turning it out of the 

 carboy, do not be nervous or act in a hurry. 

 Turn it out gently, and be careful that it does 

 not spatter upon the face or clothing. Place 

 the carboy upon a low box, remove the stO]>- 

 per, and, tipping the vessel, allow a small, 

 smooth stream to fall into the pitcher. The 

 two hundred pounds of bone powder -will re- 

 quire the entire contents of the carboy of acid ; 

 in fact, a little more is needed to pi-oduce per- 

 fect decomposition. A carboy holds about 

 one himdred and fifty pounds, and one hun- 

 dred and seventy-five will be appropriated by 

 the bone if the action is j)erfect and entire. 

 The contents of a carboy, however, have an- 

 swertid in our experience. The acid must be 

 added gradually, one (gallon at a time, stirring 

 with a hoe, and Availing for the elFervescence 

 to subside before more is added. In a few 

 hours the action will be over, and a liquid rc;- 

 sembling water will be seen floating upon the 

 top of tlie powder. This licjuid is excessively 

 sour, being free phosphoric acid, holding a 

 little solulile lime in combination. Many who 

 have tasted fif this lirpiid have supposed that 

 it was inicombined oil of vitriol, and fearing 

 that it woidd burn uj) their crops, have been 

 afraid to use the mixture. 



To dry this pasty mass so that it can be pul- 

 ■ verized, is the most troublesome and pro- 

 tracted part of the labor. Superphosphate 

 should be made by the farmer in the summer 

 after hoeing, when the weather is warm. He 

 should provide twenty or thirty rougli, shallow 

 boxes, in which the moist mass ean be placed 

 and put in the sun to dry. They can be taken 

 under cover in wet weather. Before drying, a 

 barrel of sifted loam should be mixed with tlu- 

 bone paste, and thoroughly worked into it. 

 This greatly facilitates the drying process. 

 When the mass is dry it can be pounded fine 

 with a mallet, or it can be ground in any kind 

 of a mill. The j)owder thus manufacrtured is 

 most excellent, and when further diluted with 



two more barrels of dry soil or loam, is equal 

 to the best superphosphate foimd in the mar- 

 ket. A handful put in each hill of corn or 

 p'^)tatoes at time of planting will give fine re- 

 sults. Tliis superphosphate must not be mixed 

 with lime, or ashes, as from their action it will 

 undergo decomposition, and new salts will be 

 formed. It may be mixed up with dry fish 

 t)omace, and form a \ery |)erfect and exeel- 

 h-nt fertilizer for all kinds of crops. 



The manipidation described al)ove is adapted 

 to the preparation of superphosj)liate from 

 ground raw bones. The only variation is in the 

 amount of acid needed. For raw bone powder, 

 oidy half as much acid should be used, or six 

 gallons for a barrel of bone dust. The pro- 

 cesses for its matiufacture are the same. 



Bones may be dissolved in moistened wood 

 ashes, if care is taken to bring them completely 

 under the action of the odustic lye. To ac- 

 complish this, it is necessary to break the bones 

 into fragments and pack them in a tight, shal- 

 low box with an equal weight of good, sound 

 wood ashes. Mix with the ashes, before pack- 

 ing, twenty-five pounds of slaked lime and 

 twelve pounds of powdered sal soda (carbon- 

 ate of soda) to every one hundred pounds of 

 the ashes. The box in which to conduct that 

 process may be made of rough boards, but it 

 must be tight, and it should not be over eigh- 

 teen inches deep. It may be as broad as is 

 necessary. The bones should be packed in 

 layers ; first upon the bottom a layer of ashes, 

 then a layer of bones, and so alternately until 

 the box is filled. About twenty gallons of 

 water must be poured upon the heap (that is, 

 for every one hundred pounds of bones) to 

 saturate the mass, but more may be added 

 from time to time to maintain permanent mois- 

 ture. In three, four, or six weeks, the bones 

 will be broken down completely, and the 

 whole may be beaten up together, after adding 

 an equal bulk of good sifted soil. This com- 

 post is of the highest etficacy, as it embraces 

 (juite all the great essentials of plant food, 

 namely, potash, soda, lime, phosphoric acid, 

 and the nitrogenous element. This is a very 

 convenient way for farmers who have ashes to 

 dispose of their store of bones. If plenty of 

 ashes can be procured, it will facilitate the de- 

 composition of the bones to emi)loy twice as 

 nmch ashes as there are bones ; the solution 

 will be effected sooner, and more perfectly. 



If powdered bones are enqjloyed. a barrel 

 of the powder may be mixed with a barrel of 

 good ashes, and the whole turned into the 

 half of a molasses cask, moistened with two 

 bucketfuls of water, and stirred up well with 

 a hoe. In a week this will be ready for use, 

 and it forms a most efl^icient and convenient 

 fertilizer for all the cereal crops. We think 

 it does more for corn, in giving plump, full 

 kernels, than any concentrated fertilizer we 

 have employed. A handful is enough for a 

 hill, put in at time of planting. Before drop- 

 i)ing the seed, a little earth shoidd be kicked 



