302 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



Mr. T. Greiner, who is a constant contributor to tiie Farm and Fireside on 

 agricultural chemistry under the nofti de phcnie of Joseph, says, that his method 

 has been to make a large rubbish heap in early spring in some out of the way 

 place, and when this is sdt on fire he places upon it all the bone accumulations 

 of the year. The ashes which result are then ail carefully applied to the land, 

 the value of the wood ashes being largely increased by the added phosphoric 

 acid from the bones which have been consumed ; but the phosphoric acid will 

 be better economized by the previous method than by allowing the bones to burn 

 entirely to ashes. 



A recipe for fermenting whole bones with horse manure, is described in Storer's 

 Agriculture as follows : Soak the bones in water for several days, then pack them 

 in a dung-pit layer with horse manure, taking care to moisten each layer with the 

 water in which the bones have soaked, and with other water as well. Each layer 

 of bone should be about three inches thick, and the layers of horse manure 

 twelve inches thick. The heap is topped with loam. At the end of ten months 

 the bones will be reduced and the mixture fit for use. 



Another plan which is very simple is to decompose them by the use of wood 

 ashes. They are first broken up as fine as possible and put in alternate layers 

 with unleached wood ashes, and put in a barrel or hogshead to decay as quickly 

 as possible. The mixture should be kept moistened during several months until 

 the bones have become soft and can be easily broken up very fine. This will 

 probably require six months or a year. 



One of the simplest ways perhaps to deal with old bones, especially where 

 only a small quantity is to be treated, is to boil them in a strong lye, either made 

 from wood ashes or by dissolving in water as much caustic potash as the water 

 will hold at the boiling point. This will accomplish the work very speedily. 

 When they are dissolved the mixture will need to be extended many times with 

 dry muck or plaster before it can be applied to the soil. The potash added is 

 itself a very valuable fertilizer. 



Powdery Mildew of Cucumber. — The powdery mildew of the cucum- 

 ber is due to the work of a fungus. It attacks the leaves, on the upper surfaces 

 of which it forms at first rounded spots, which appear like blotches of a white 

 powder. These spots gradually enlarge and become confluent, until the leaf is 

 practically covered. The attacked parts of the leaf soon turn yellow, and finally 

 become dead and dry. Under favorable circumstances the disease spreads quite 

 rapidly and is very destructive. Prof. Bailey and Dr. Fisher have found that the 

 fungus may be kept in check by frequent spraying with a solution of liver of sul- 

 phur (sulphide of potassium) in water. An ounce of the drug to three gallons of 

 water is strong enough, and will not injure the foliage. A house in which this 

 disease has been troublesome should be thoroughly cleaned and fumigated before 

 the next season's crop is started. -^i^ar/;/ and Fireside. 



