No. 129.] 357 



ed the benefits conferred upon timothy and clover fields, by a 

 large increase. 



Maj. Farrington observed that he had formed the opinion that 

 twenty-five dollars would be the price per ton delivered in Liv- 

 erpool. Another valuable use can be made of this material — that 

 for cupels for refining the precious metals. These have hereto- 

 fore been made of bone-earth. Cups of it containing alloys or 

 mixtures of silver and lead separate the silver from the lead. I 

 have examined the mine at Crown Point— Prof. Emmons' discov- 

 ery — and the effect of the phosphate on vegetation. I saw one 

 tomato plant with all its fruit upon it w^eigning one hundred 

 pounds, which was manured with that phosphate. Prof. Norton 

 of Yale College speaks highly of this material. By proper exer- 

 tion I believe iYidX fifty thousand tons of it can be brought to mar- 

 ket within the next year. 



Prof. Mapes. — I have experimented with it on a small scale ; 

 that from Crown Point and that of Jersey. All are aware that 

 previous to the use of bone in England the turnips were but in- 

 different, both in quality and quantity ; now the crops are great 

 and of fine quality. This phosphate (or as formed by the English 

 Chemists, within the last twenty years, into a superphosphate of 

 lime) is composed of three of lime to one of phosphoric acid, and 

 is nearly indestructible by fire, therefore it is so admirably suited 

 for cupellation. Bone in soil is slowly acted^upon by plants and 

 their roots, and the bone will remain a long time before it is con- 

 sumed. The mineral phosphate by treatment with sulphuric 

 acid is ready for immediate'^service to plants. The sulphate of 

 lime is also useful to vegetation. We see clearly how w^e have 

 used up the phosj^hate in^our country. We once had 35 bushels 

 of wheat per acre in Ohio, and 30 in New- York. Now it is 15 in 

 Ohio, and 12i in New-York. It has gone from us in grain andin 

 the bones of the cattle brought to our sea-board. While by sci- 

 entific management, the wheat of England has been brought up 

 from 14. bushels the acre, as higli (iu some cases) as fifty bushels 

 per acre. Every fox that has come to the sea-board from our 

 western country, has^brouglit away with^him one hundred pounds 

 of that indispensible[|phosphate in his^bones. For feeding sheep, 



