864 Transactions of tee American Institute. 



ger, and if laterals piisli out, so as to he troublesome, treat them the 

 same wav, or clip them off with a knife. 



Leather SnAvmos. 



Mr. J. Russell, Passaic county, N. J., inquired whether leather 

 shavings obtained for nothing and composted with swamp muck and 

 lime would be valuable as manure on poor land. 



Mr. A. S. Fuller. — That treatment is very proper. I have found 

 the fermenting dung heap a good solvent of leather. Cut small, I 

 have known the j)ieces of leather to quite disappear in the heap of 

 horse dung. 



Mr. James A. Whitney. — I recommend that he use them as bedding, 

 and get them well soaked and filled with organic matters. They will 

 decay much more rapidly. 



Mr. P. T. Quinn. — Unless he does something of that sort his leather 

 will do him no good for a long time. On the Mapes farm we used 

 some leather scraps as manure some sixteen years ago, and the other 

 day some of the pieces were turned up very little affected by the 

 moisture of the soil. If he should use a little diluted muriatic or 

 sulphuric acid on them the decay would become rapid. Lime will 

 take out the tannic acid and then hasten decomposition. 



Mr. N. C. Meeker. — I have always found great benefit from the 

 use of all the old leather I could get hold of. 



Ground Bones. 



Mr. A. S. Fuller. — I have received a letter from Peck Brothers, of 

 Cornwall, Connecticut, asking me to propound this question to the 

 Farmers' Club : Which are best manure for the soil, greasy bones or 

 dry bones ? They have a mill for the purpose of grinding bones, and 

 it is of some importance to them and their customers to know. 



Mr. J. B. Lyman. — Grease of itself has little or no value as manure. 

 But bones that have not been boiled contain more albumen, that is, 

 more nitrogen than boiled or bleached bones. This albumen is of 

 great value as a prompt and stimulating manure. Such bones would 

 act at once, and very perceptibly, on the first crop. The chief and 

 permanent value of bones is for the phosphate of lime which they 

 contain. This is as great in bleached as in fresh bones. I would say 

 that for the first crop raw and unboiled bone is worth a quarter more 

 than dry bone meal ; after the first year, no more. 



The regular subject of the day was now taken up : 



