94 
The Farming of Cheshire. 
8 per cent, on his outlay. Bone manure, when paid for by the landlord, 
is always applied to pasture land, which is not allowed to be broken up, 
and its effects are very durable, I may say permanent. The land will sup- 
port an extra number of stock, and the increased quantity of manure thus 
made upon the farm, compensates for any diminution which time may 
make in the effects of the ' bone dusting.' A considerable income might 
be realized from an estate like this, by the difference between common 
interest, and that which a tenant would gladly pay for such improve- 
ment." 
From a correspondent in the Hundred of Nantwich : — 
"It is, I believe, the opinion of some very experienced agriculturists (un- 
acquainted of course with the clay soils of this county), that bone manure 
can only be applied with advantage for arable purposes, and that to put it 
upon permanent pasture land is a misapplication of this most valuable 
manure, but the most casual observer who has witnessed the wonderful 
effect produced by it upon the pastures of this county, must be amused at 
the absurdity, and feel surprised that such an opinion could ever have 
been entertained. Although unquestionably bones may, and are to a great 
extent very advantageously used for green crops, and other arable pur- 
poses on light soils, yet I contend there is no comparison in the return 
either to the landowner or occupier between bones applied for arable pur- 
poses and those applied to the permanent pasture lands. I have known 
many instances where the annual value of our poorest clay lands has been 
increased by an outlay of from 11. to 8/. a statute acre, to the extent of 
at least 300 per cent., or in other words, that the land has been much 
cheaper after this outlay at 30s. per acre than it was in its original or 
native state at 10*., thereby leaving a return of more than 15 per cent, 
upon the amount expended, besides the satisfaction of seeing a miserable 
covering of pink grass, rushes, hen-gorse, and a variety of other noxious 
weeds (which are generally the offspring of poverty), exchanged for the 
most luxuriant herbage of wild clover, trefoil, and other succulent and nu- 
tritious grasses. The permanency of this manure depends in some measure 
upon the nature and situation of the land ; but I believe it is admitted on 
all hands that it will under any circumstances continue long enough to 
render ample compensation for the outlay, and although in some instances 
a considerable portion of the clover and trefoil may disappear after the 
first eight or ten years, yet an excellent herbage of permanent grasses re- 
mains very superior to what the land originally produced ; and in my opi- 
nion clay land once well boned will never again produce a bad herbage if 
kept in pasture. I know some instances where lands which have been 
boned upwards of fifteen years, still retain a very considerable portion of 
both clover and trefoil, and I have very little doubt but this will be found 
to be the case in many instances when sufficient time has elapsed to test 
it. There are different opinions as to whether the boiled or unboiled 
bones are the most profitable, some contending that the raw or unboiled 
bones are the most permanent ; others, that the boiled ones have the ad- 
vantage, inasmuch as they come sooner into operation, and are lower in 
price. My opinion is, that provided the bones could be obtained as they 
come from the butcher, or from the carcase without the principal bones 
being taken out (as they generally are) for boiling purposes, they would 
be preferable to the unboiled ones, masmuch as they would, by containing 
more animal matter spread over more land, be longer in decomposing, and 
consequently more permanent in their effect ; but as it is notorious that 
the best bones are now taken out for boihng purposes, we only get the re- 
fuse, and it is very questionable whether the boiled bones, even after the 
gelatine is extracted (which by the bye some contend forms no part of 
