SEE] . 
THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE., ; 141 
properly burnt, about as durable, while a great saving 
was effeeted in the carting. "The price of tiles had been 
greatly reduced within the last few years, but would 
admit of much further reduction, and still leave a good 
profit to the manufacturer. The lowest price he 
had paid for the smallest size (viz., 13 by 24 inches, 
and 15 inches long), had been 21s. per thousand, 
and the sole (without which a tile ought never to be 
laid) would bring up the price to 31s. But the pipe-tile 
was in general use in the south of England, and answered 
perfectly. He had not tried it himself until November 
last, when he used it in the drainage of a 9 acre field, 
and as far as he could judge, the experiment had been 
successful, The cost of these pipes was 21s. per 
thousand: diameter 2 inches, and length 15 inches. 
But 1-inch" pipes, according to Mr. Parkes, were found 
equal to surface drainage, when properly applied, even 
when the descent was moderate ; and he (Mr. Robson) 
had seen a field laid completely dry with pipes at 1-inch 
bore. In a county which he had visited, a statement 
had been handed to him of the cost of manufacturing 
pipe-tiles per thousand. It was 7s. 8d. for 13-inch 
pipes, 10s. 2d. for 2-inch, and 13s. 6d. for the larger 
size. .In this neighbourhood, where coals were cheap, 
2.inch pipes might be made for 10s. per thousand, and 
ly be 
| chased from Mr. Fothergill, under the name of super- 
phosphate of lime) at the rate of 2 cwt. 
* The bones and acid took the lead of the bones, and 
kept it throughout. I am bound to add that the super- 
phosphate prepared by Mr. Fothergill not only sur- 
passed the bones, but also that which I had manufac- 
tured myself. Possibly the quantity of Mr. Fothergill’s 
"may have been too large for comparison ; but though I 
think my own method of preparing superphosphate a 
convenient one, when the bones are at hand, it appears 
also that if we can ensure the delivery of a genuine 
article, it will be still better to buy this manure ready 
made. In this trial there cou'd be no doubt that all 
the three forms of bones acted strongly, for the crop 
grew vigorously where they were used, while on spots 
where they were purposely omitted, it could scarcely be 
said to grow at all ; and though, from late sowing, and 
from being left too thick, the Turnips had ,not time to 
come to maturity, the result was quite decisive for our 
present comparison. About a fifth of an acre was 
weighed on each piece, with the following results :— 
a great saving in drainage might d y 
effected. The expense of draining an acre with tiles 
and soles, in his own experience, four years ago, was 
6l. 18s. A friend had supplied him with cost per acre 
of draining with pipes, and it was only 37. 5s, 8d, An 
interesting diseussion ensued, in which the general 
opinion seemed to be in favour of deep draining and 
filling with elay.— William Glover,’ Hon. Secretary. 
Reviews. 
The Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of 
England. Vol. 6, Part 2. J. Murray, Albemarle- 
street. 
Tur present Number is full of very interesting and 
useful papers, among which are Reports on the Farm- 
ing of Kent and Cornwall, Essays on One-horse Carts, 
on Gorse, on Fences, on the Advantages of Reducing 
Hedgerows, &c. ; Dr. Playfair’s Lectures on the Potato 
Disease are also published in it, but we notice it here 
more especially for the purpose of transferring to our 
columns a paper by Mr. Pusey on Superphosphate of 
Lime, in which a simple account is given of the theory 
connected with the operation of that manure, as well as 
some striking instances of its fertilising powers. 
* In bones, however, the phosphorus, in an acid state, 
is compounded with lime in such a proportion as to form 
a salt called phosphate of lime, which water does not 
dissolve, and which therefore acts slowly upon the roots 
of crops to which it is applied as manure. Dr. Liebig 
knew that oil of vitriol (sulphuric acid), if mixed with 
bones, would take to itself a part of this lime, leaving 
behind a new salt containing at least a double portion 
of phosphorus, and therefore called superphosphate of 
lime, which salt being readily dissolved by water, he 
` hoped would afford a more digestible food for the young 
Turnip, and the result has answered his expectations, 
Such is the simple history of this great discovery. 
* Hitherto, as I said, the mixture has been applied 
as a liquid manure, diffused sometimes in 50 times its 
bulk of water; and it has been prepared in vessels 
troublesome to procure and liable to be injured by the 
acid. Availing myself, however, of a suggestion for 
dispensing even with these, I formed a flat heap of dry 
mould about 10 feet across, the surface of which was 
Scooped into a hollow basin, capable of holding 20 
bushels of ground fresh bones. A little water was 
poured on, but I have since omitted the water. Sul- 
phurie acid, to the amount of about half the weight of 
bones, was gradually poured into this basin. They soon 
begin to heat, seething violently, and sending out a 
great deal of steam, with a peculiarly offensive stench ; 
Presently the whole mixture wears the appearance of 
boiling blood, and swells so much from the escape of 
gas, that the workmen stirring it with their hoes must 
take great care to prevent it from bursting over the 
Sides of the earthern basin. In a short time, however, 
the cauldron becomes quiet ; and the bones disappear 
altogether, except a few fragments : so that. the heap 
may be shovelled together, and might be drilled on the 
hu day, but this would not be advisable, as some. 
E. lumps still half liquid remain in the compost. 
n the first occasion the earth and dissolved bones were 
left mixed tog 
left, I learned, on returning, after six weeks' absence, 
on another part, bones at thé rate of 20 bushels an 
acre; and I added, on a third part,a manure (pur- 
MANURE PER ACRE. Cost. YIELD or TURNIPS. 
1. 20 bushels of bones .. 55s. on 44$ cwt. 
2. 43 bushels of bones with 
100ibs. sulphuric Ga te 7225. m 493 cwt. 
r. gill's su- 
3. 2 cwt. Mr DR hrocgpeirus aise 
Present price .. 178 
“The saving of immediate expense by Dr. Liebig’s 
discovery is certainly very great, if we take it only as 
from 55s. to 22s, per acre on the Turnip land, which 
should be one quarter of the whole acreage of a light 
arable farm. The trouble of preparation is slight, and 
of its application next to nothing : for Mr. Hornsby in- 
forms me that his Turnip-drill will distribute equally 
as small a quantity as 15 bushels over an aere : as then 
the 44 bushels of dissolved bones do not require to be 
mixed with more than 10 or 15 bushels of earth, and 
his drill holds 25 bushels, the use of this compost would 
not require more than one stoppage for filling the drill 
on each acre. 3 ^ 
* Mr. Fothergill's preparation, if the quantity as- 
sumed be correct, was still more successful, and having 
tried it elsewhere.I am enabled to speak most highly of 
it. A neighbour, to whom I supplied some, found that 
2 cwt. of this superphosphate, costing then l4s., an- 
swered better on his land for Turnips than 23 cwt. of 
the best Peruvian guano, for whieh he had paid 325. 
“Tt is a grey damp substance, partly a powder, 
partly in tough lumps like dry dough. The same lumps 
are found in the compost as I prepare it myself. It 
would evidently be a great waste of manure to drill 
these lumps into the land without reducing them to 
powder; but this is not easily done, for they are so 
tough that no pounding will crush them, As the point 
is one of importance, I may mention the method we at 
last hit upon, The whole mass, mixed with ashes, 
should be passed through a large coarse wire sieve, and 
the lumps then be spread about 2 inches thick on a 
hard floor. A small garden roller should then be 
drawn over them backwards and forwards until they 
are flattened to a uniform cake. If the workmen now 
work this cake with a fine garden rake, they will find 
that the tough mass will crumble between its teeth. I 
dwell upon this, because I think we ought to make it a 
rule in the use of all artificial manures, by bringing 
them into a state of powder, and mixing them thoroughly 
with dry mould or ashes, to spread them so uniformly in 
the soil that each rootlet of the future crop shall have 
as fair a chance of finding its portion of food as if liquid 
manure had been used. 
* Having tried thé method described above, I ven- 
ture to recommend it to farmers ; but I consider it by 
no means a perfect prescription. It is not clear whether 
the.second fermentation should be allowed to take place 
or not. It is by no means clear that the proportion 
of acid (one-half the weight of the bones) might not be 
diminished. It is doubtful whether the amount of 
bones, 43 bushels, be the right dose per acre. It is 
very likely that phosphorus should not be administered 
singly, but should be combined with potash, as Dr. 
Liebig advises. These are points which I beg to re- 
commend to our members for their future inquiry. 
* Before concluding, I must mention a process long 
b 
cially, The ashes must be moderately damp, for dry 
ashes, I found, do not exert any action upon the bones. 
“Such are the assured advantages to be derived to 
the Turnip erop by the solution of bones, but we ma: 
further hope to see the use of superphosphate extended 
even to corn crops. Theory certainly requires it, for, 
according to Boussingault, a crop of 4 quarters of 
Wheat to the acre draws from that acre of ground at 
least 301bs. of phosphoric acid. Experi counte- 
nances it, for though bone-manure is usually applied 
to the Turnip crop, its effects, as is well known, are 
seen in the following corn crops. But further, a direct 
experiment, too, has proved its success. This was made 
by Mr. Pemberton Leigh upon Wheat, and published 
in our Journal * Jast year, but is so much in point that 
I must give it shortly again :— 
ONE ACRE, Cost. YIELD or WHEAT INCREASE. 
£ s. d PER ACRE PER AcRE. 
No manure `.. — -. 29 bushels, 
Rape-dust, 5 ewt. 2 6 .. 38 do. -. 9 bushels. 
Urate, 6 cwt. .. 6 .. 38 do. .. 9 do. 
Dung, 30 loads 0 .. 40 do. .. 11 do. 
uano, 33 cwt. . 0 40 do. .. 11 do. 
Superphosphate, Gewt.2 4 9 53 do. +. 24 do. 
* The increase of 24 bushels, that is 3 quarters of 
Wheat per acre, by the use of superphosphate, is enor- 
mous, equal, in fact, to the whole average yield of many 
farms, and could hardly be expected again ; but though 
we must not hope for so large a return in money as 8/. 
for 2/., this manure is so cheap that a much smaller in- 
erease in the Wheat crop would pay for its use. 
* I have drilled it in this year with Wheat, but Mr. 
Leigh's plan of using it as a top-dressing in March may 
be a better one, because it is not wanted sooner, being 
chiefly required for forming the grain, and if applied in 
the autumn is liable to be washed down during winter. 
I think that it deserves trial on Wheat, and I am sure 
that we ought now to give great attention to the cheap- 
ening of artificial manures. e have succeeded in re- 
ducing the expense of draining to one-third of its 
former cost, and I do not despair that, by equal perse- 
verance, we may, in 3 or 4 years, bring down the cost 
of manures in equal proportion. I believe that all bones 
should now be sold to the farmer in the cheaper and 
readier form of fi d superphosphate ; and 
that of all compound manures, though potash and am- 
monia may be required in them, a main ingredient 
must be phosphorus.— Pusey, December 29, 1845.” 
Miscellaneous. 
Boussingault on the Preparation and Composition of 
Manure (vol. ii. p. 68).—If opinions are divided on 
the question, whether manure should be used before or 
after fermentation, they are not less so as regards the 
manner of spreading it, and the proper season for ear- 
rying it into the field. It is clear, however, that the- 
views which have been formed on the first of these 
points will materially influence our conceptions as to 
the second. Those who are convinced that the dung 
should be used as it comes from the stall, are quite in- 
different as to the time of carting it; the most conve- 
nient time may be chosen, which is no small advantage, 
and this is our praetice^at Bechelbronn, where it is 
carried out as soon as possible. The fields destined to 
be manured in spring are supplied in winter, when the 
frost permits. The dung, at first laid in little heaps at 
regular distances, is afterwards spread as equally as 
possible, most frequently on the snow—a practice in 
which we have never found any inconvenience. The 
method adopted by certain cultivators of keeping dung 
in great masses, with a view to spreading it when the 
tillage takes place, is certainly wrong; the spots in 
which the heaps are laid are too highly manured, and 
the plan is adapted for long fresh dung only. The 
custom of leaving the dung for months, perhaps, spread 
on the land and exposed to every variation of season, 
has been criticised ; it is said to lose its volatile parts ; 
that rain washes out and carries off those which are 
soluble ; and, induced by these fears, many do not 
spread the dung till the very moment when the land is 
ready for the plough. This difference of opinion in 
parties personally interested in making the most of their 
manure oughtnot to be passed over lightly. In agricultural 
matters, it is dangerous to generalise too much. The 
climate ought to be taken into consideration. In 
Alsatia i speaks for the practice in question ; 
known in this neighbourhood, which seems curiously to 
agree with Dr. Liebig's treatment of : 
Mr. Brooks, of Hatford, has for many years assured 
me that he could make 4 bushels of bones go as far as 
20 bushels by mixing them first with peat-ashes. It oc- 
curred to me that since many peat-ashes contain sulphate 
of lime, this practice might be a self-taught form of the 
recent scientific diseovery. Following his instructions, 
I mixed 8 bushels of crushed bones with 16 bushels of 
our brick-coloured peat-ashes, and the mixture was 
thrown up in a heap. In a few days they began to heat 
violently, and the heat lasted for about 10 days, at the 
end of which time on opening the heap scarcely a par- 
ticle of bone§could be detected. The whole was re- 
duced to a fine reddish grey powder. The fragments 
of bone which still showed themselves were exactly like 
those which sulphuric acid has acted on. On trying 
this compost by the side of superphosphate with a crop 
of Turnips the effect was precisely the same. Whether 
the cause be the same, one cannot of course be certain, 
until a chemical analysis has been made. The ashes 
cost only 4d. for 2 bushels, the acid would have cost 
five times as much. The trial, therefore, will be worth 
making for those who have bog-peat at hand ; though 
peat varies so much in its elements that there can be no 
certainty of success. If it fail, there will be nothing 
lost; if it answer, it mav be useful. in Ireland esne- 
but in other countries, there may be very good reasons 
against it. In Alsatia, where the rain during the 
whole year amounts to 27 inches, during December, 
January, and February, the quantity amounts only to 
4,36 inches. The quality of the manure might, per- 
haps, be injured where the proportion in winter is 
greater. The quality of manure also must be takem 
into consideration. A manure-heap which contains a 
large proportion of carbonate of ammonia, and emits a 
very decided odour of volatile alkali, would certainly be 
deteriorated by prolonged exposure to the air ; but this 
loss is scarcely sensible where the manure contains but 
a small quantity of volatile ammoniacal salts, as is the 
case with that which has been treated with gypsum ; 
much less when fresh dung has been discharged in cold 
weather, with a view to its remaining unimpaired till 
the time of tillage. When the rains are not too heavy 
the soluble parts of the manure which is spread over 
the land penetrate it and are retained in the upper 
stratum, exactly as when, instead of incorporating the 
manure with the soil, it is spread over crops in fall 
vegetation, or before the germination of the seed. The 
practice of top-dressing is often profitable; and itis proof 
enough of the little inconvenience there is in exposing 
CORN ana 
