190 
Solubility of Phosphatic Materials. 
tion, and as his are the only experiments on record, I deemed it 
desirable to try the same experiments upon perfectly rotten bones 
which I had made with other forms of bone manure. 
A sample of the bones used in my experiments, on analysis, 
yielded the following results : — 
Composition of rotten Bone-dust. 
Moisture 12-02 
*Organic matter 28'71 
Phosphates of lime and magnesia (bone-earth) . . 49'28 
Carhonate of lime and alkaline salts 8'92 
Sand 1-07 
100-00 
*Contaimng nitrogen 3 -44 
Equal to ammonia 4'17 
These bones had a dark colour, a pungent smell like rotten 
cheese, and imparted a deep brown colour to water. 
Mixed with a little water and soda-lime they gave off ammonia 
abundantly, showing that they contained readily formed ammonia 
in saline combination. 
Three successive solutions were prepared as before, and the 
amount of bone phosphate and of nitrogen determined in each, 
when the following results were obtained : — 
Table showing the amount in grains of Bone-phosphate dissolved in 1 gallon of 
Water left in contact with Rotten Bones for 24 hours in the proportion 
of 500 grains of Bones to one decigallon of Water. 
Bone-phosphate. Nitrogen = Ammonia. 
( 1st solution 20-30 .... 28-70 = 34-85 
Eotten bone-dust ..|2nd „ .. 10-50 .... 4-90 = 5-95 
{ 3rd „ .. 6-30 .... 3-50 = 4-25 
In comparison with all the other varieties of bone manure the 
rotten bones, it will be seen, yielded a very considerable pro- 
portion of phosphate of lime to cold water ; thus furnishing 
another direct proof that bone-dust in a decomposed condition is 
much more efficacious and quick in acting than fresh bones. 
Boiling water, I find, dissolves a still larger amount of phos- 
phate of lime than cold, as will be seen from the following 
experiment, in which rotten bones in a far advanced state of 
putrefaction were employed. 
100 grains of such rotten bone-dust were boiled out with 
10 ounces of water ; the liquid produced was filtered perfectly 
clear, evaporated to dryness, and the amount of phosphate in the 
heated residue determined as before. 
