156 
On the Comparative Value of 
the Action and Application of Dissolved Bones. By John 
Hannam." 
Mr. Hannam's experiments were tried on plots of one-tenth of 
an acre each, with rough and fine bones, raw and dissolved ; with 
boiled bones, raw and dissolved ; and with bone-ash merely 
powdered and treated with acid. 
To quote a few of his results : — G cwts. of raw bones, crushed, 
have produced 10 tons 3 cwts. 4 stone of turnips : 3 cwts. of 
raw bones, dissolved in 1^ cwt. of acid, produced 16 tons 
I cwt. 3 stone 6 lbs. : 1^ cwt. of raw bones, dissolved in ^ cwt. 
of acid, produced 12 tons 11 cwts. 3 stone 6 lbs. 
Still more to the point are his experiments with the mineral 
portion of bones dissolved and undissolved : — 3^^ cwts. of ground 
bone-ash produced 9 tons 7 cwts. 4 stone : Ij cwt. of ground bone- 
ash, dissolved in 1^ cAvt. of acid, produced l4 tons 3 cwt. 7 stone 
G lbs. of turnips. 
In experiments on the use of raw and dissolved bones on the 
Duke of Richmond's Home Farm, Gordon Castle, the following 
results were obtained : — 
Sixteen busliels of bones, at a cost of IZ. IGs. per acre, produced 
II tons of turnips ; and the following year, 3 qrs. 7 bushels 1 J peck 
of barley. 
Two bushels of bones and 83 lbs. of sulphuric acid, at a cost 
of lis. Gr/. per acre, applied with the liquid-manure drill, pro- 
duced 12 tons and 4 cwts. of turnips, and the following year, 
3 qrs. 4 bushels 3 pecks of barley. 
In experiments by Mr. R. W. Purchas, tried in Gloucestershire, 
in 1843, 3^ bushels of bone-dust and 80 lbs. of sulphuric acid, 
costing 11. Qs. GfZ. per acre, produced 13 tons 1 cwt. 1 qr. turnips ; 
and 16 bushels of bones (half dust), costing 2/. 4.9. per acre, 
produced 8 tons 2 cwts. 2 lbs. of turnips ; and 20 bushels of 
bones, costing '21. lAs. per acre, produced 9 tons 1 cwt. 1 qr. of 
turnips. The field manured with bones and sulphuric acid in 
1843 was planted in 1845 with carrots. The part manured 
with acid and Ijones at a cost of IZ. Os. Gc?. per acre, produced 24^ 
cwt. per acre more than the part manured with 2(J bushels ot 
bones at a cost of 21. 14.s. per acre. 
In a series of experiments which I tried in 1855, '56, '57, 
'58, and '59, at Cirencester, I obtained similar results. Thus, 
7 cwts. and 16 lbs. of bone-dust, at a cost of 21. per acre, pro- 
duced 8 tons 16 cwts. of swedes ; and bone-dust, dissolved in 
one-third its weight of acid, applied at the same cost (2/.) per 
acre, produced 13 tons 12 cwts. 16 lbs. of swedes ; and dissolved 
coprolites, 11 tons 12 cwts. of swedes ; and no manure gave 
5 tons 4 cwts. 
In another trial in 1859, I obtained with 3 cwts. of a purely 
