170 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
sure, aitributed to their careful saving and use 
of matters which others have been most anxious 
to be freed from. In Spain, the celebrated as- 
paragus of Saragossa is grown on beds of loose 
gravel and sand, but a little above the flow of 
the tide; but these beds are heavily manured, al- 
ter the cutting of the season is closed, with fresh 
night soil dug in, and thus their fertility is sus- 
tained, and the unrivaled character of the Sara- 
gossa asparagus maintained. 
BONES. 
Bones, ground or crushed, form another pow- 
ertul manure; and although but little used as 
yet in this country, there are some indications, 
such as the erection of mills for crushing them, 
that their use will soon become extensive, and 
our farmers be saved the mortifying spectacle, 
so long witnessed here, of seeing ship loads ol 
bones exported to Europe, used by farmers there, 
and returned to us in the products of the soil. 
Col. St. Leger ot Worrasworth, was the first to 
introduce bone manuring into England, in 1775; 
but it was many years before their value was 
fully understood; and it was only in connection 
with the turnip culture, that they came into 
general use. The manner in which bones acts 
as manures, and their value, will be best seen 
by a statement of their constituents. The bones 
of the ox, according to Berzelius, contain in 100 
parts: 
Cartilage 33.3 
Phosphate of lime 55.35 
Fluate of lime 3. 
Carbonate of lime 3.85 
Phosphate of magnesia 2.05 
Soda, with a little common salt 2.45 
100 . 
The analysis of Fourcroy and Vanquelin, 
gives: 
Gelatine and oil 51. 
Phosphate of lime 37.7 
Carbonate of lime 10. 
Phosphate of magpesia 1.3 
100 . 
Johnson, in his lately published work on Fer- 
tilizers, says: “Dry bones contain about two- 
thirds their weight of earthy matter, the other 
third chiefly of animal matter, resembling glue. 
Of the earthy matter, five sixths consists of 
phosphate of lime and magnesia. A ton of 
bone dust, contains of 
Animal matter, about 746 lbs. 
Phosphate of lime, &c 1,245 lbs. 
Carbonate of lime, &c 249 lbs. 
Bones, however, vary somewhat in their con- 
stituents, some containing more of the earthy, 
and others more of the animal parts; take those 
of the calf and the elk for examples, to which 
the teeth of the horse are added: 
Phos’teof lime. Car’te of lime. An’ al matter. 
Calf... 
,.54. 
49. 
Elk . . . 
..90. 
1 
9 
Teeth . 
. .85.5 
15.5 
USE OF BONES. 
It is evident then, that bones abound in mat- 
ters capable of producing ammonia. Dr. Dana 
estimates its power in this respect to be equal to 
8 or 10 times that of cow dung, while, if the 
salts are regarded, 100 lbs. of bones contain 
nearly 66 times as much as the same quantity 
of cow dung. Experience proves that the pow- 
er of aiding crop.s, between dung and bones, is 
about in the proportion of the constituents nam- 
ed. It is evident th at much of value of bones, as 
generally practiced, has but little effect in ex- 
tracting the gelatine; and does not remove even 
all the fat or oil. Under high pressure as in 
Papius’s digester, the separation of the animal 
from the earthy matter is complete. The finer 
bones can be crushed or ground, the better or 
quicker will their influence be felt; and boilers, 
by removing the exterior cartilage and fat, ren- 
ders the crushing more perfect. It is owing to 
this cause, undoubtedly, that many of the En- 
glish agriculturists prefer dry to fresh bones; as 
the dust made from the former, is more suitable 
for sowin t or drilling with seeds, than that of 
the latter. Bone dust is the most etficient on 
light and dry soils. It has been found also very 
useful on limestone soils and light loams; but 
on heavy clay or wet soils, this manure does 
little or no good. Bone dust is one of the most 
efficient manures on clover, particularly the 
white clover, exceeding gypsum in its effects on 
this plant. This is accounted lor by the fact, 
that white clover abounds in phosphate of lime; 
and the phosphates ol bones supply it in abun- 
dance. Although principally emplojmd as a 
manure for turnips, in consequence of their im- 
portance in a rotation of crops for the animals 
of the farm, particularly sheep, it is considered 
by many farmers quite as useful, employed as a 
manure for potatoes as it is for turnips. Bones 
are found to be more valuable, if subjected to a 
partial fermentation before being applied to the 
crops. If mixed with five or six times their 
weight of vegetable mold or fine rich earth, and 
turned over lor several times for a few weeks 
before using, the value is much increased. — 
Since the general use of bones has been intro- 
duced into England, vast quantities are gathered 
and imported from all parts ol the world. As 
an instance of this traffic, it may be mentioned 
that at Hull alone, in 1815, 8,000 tones of bones 
were imported; and this amount, at the same 
place, had increased in 1835, to 27,500 tons. 
GUANO. 
Guano is another manure of animal origin, 
which has lately been brought to notice. It is 
the excrement of sea birds, and the immense 
masses of it existing on the rocky isles of the 
Pacific, in the vicinity of Arica in Peru, are 
the accumulations of centuries. That, in this 
state, it differs from the newer excrements, can 
scarcely be questioned, as the action of the at- 
mosphere must have produced many chemical 
changes during the lapse of years. Analysis 
shows it to consist chiefly ol insoluble and so- 
luble salts, chiefly phosphate of lime and organ- 
ic matter, or salts 32 parts, and organic matter 
68. A large portion of the organic matter is 
uric acid and ammonia; and regarded as a ma- 
nure, it may be considered as a urate of ammo- 
nia. It appears as a fine brownish powder, 
with a strong marine or fishy smell, and gives 
ofiTammoniacal fumes when heated. Several 
ship loads of this manure have been carried to 
England; and the experiments show, v'hat in- 
deed the analysis would prove, that it is to be 
classed among the most efficient of manures. It 
has succeeded well, whether applied to grain, 
grasses, or to roots. There is no necessity ot 
enlarging on this manure here, as it is not prob- 
able that it will ever be introduced to any extent 
into the United States, while we have so many 
easily accessible sources of fertility that have as 
yet hardly been touched,.among us. It may be 
mentioned in this place, thatthe dung of domes- 
tic fowls is one of the most valuable of farm ma- 
nures, far exceeding in power that of the hog or 
horse; and though not equal to guano in ammo- 
nia, probably Irom there not being as much an- 
imal tood used in its production, still deserving 
more attention in this respect than it has received 
VARIOUS ANIMAL PRODUCTS. 
All animal products capable of putrefaction 
or decomposition, can be converted into ma- 
nures; fish, flesh, gristle, sinews, skin, horns, 
hair, wool, and indeed all animal solids or flu- 
ids are of this character. The man who allows 
his dead animals to putrify and waste away 
above ground, is guilty of great improvidence; 
and converts what might be made a valuable 
manure into a decided nuisance. A dead horse 
covered with earth or vegetable mold, mixed 
with a little lime or gypsum, will, when decayed 
and converted into a manure and spread on the 
soil, add to the value of the corn or wheat grown, 
not enough perhaps to buy a valuable new one, 
but not unfrequently more than the worth of the 
original animal. A more disgusting sight can 
scarcely be imagined, than to see the fences and 
.rees around a farmer’s yard dressed out with 
dead lambs or other defunct animals in the spring 
season. All such, should be buried at once, and 
thus made available in other forms. 
FISH. 
Of the substances named above, fish is the 
one most commonly used as a manure. In the 
vicinity of the sea, large quantities of fish are 
annually used in enriching the soil. This is 
particularly the case on Long Island and Rhode 
Island. They are sometimes spread broadcast 
on the earth and plowed in; at other times de- 
po.sited in the hills of corn; sometimes spread 
over the meadows after the crop is mowed, and 
allowed to putrefy in the open air. The siench, 
where the putrefaction goes on in the open aic^ 
is intolerable; and can only be endured by tho^^ 
whose olfactories have been accustomed to the 
nuisance. This is a most wasteful practice, 
and should long ago have been abandoned. — 
Treated in this way, but a small part of the ac- 
tual value of the fish is realized; and it is not to 
be wondered at, tliat where the methods ef us- 
ing this manure are so different, widely differ- 
ent ideas of its value should be entertained. — 
Fish should never be used fresh, or thrown at 
once upon the soil. The true way of preparing 
them as a manure, is to make them into com- 
post, by placing them in layers with muck, rock 
weed, peat, or even common loam, to putrefy. 
Where the soil is heavy or inclining to clay, 
where the compost is to be used, common shore 
sand, containing as it does, large quantities of 
particles of carbonate of lime, will be found 
useful as a composting ingredient with the fish. 
When the fish are decayed or putrefied, the mass 
should be dug over, the parts thoroughly mixed, 
and if much ammonia or offensive gas is libera- 
ted, a covering of earth should be given, and the 
mass be allowed further to ferment before using. 
In this way. fish never fail of being a valuable 
manure. Rock weed, eel grass, or in short any 
of those vegetable or animal matters that abound 
on the sea shore, may be advantageously used 
in the preparation of these composts. 
REFUSE OF FACTORIES. 
There are many manufactories, particularly 
those of skins, furs and wool, where large quan- 
tities of manures of the most powerful kind are 
annually suffered to go to waste, though to a 
much less extent than formerly. The refuse of 
such establishments, now frequently considered, 
and justly as now treated, a nuisance, may by 
simple application to the soil, or still better by 
being made into compost, be used as the best of 
fertilizers. One of the best farmers and most 
successful breeders of our country was driven 
into the business of agriculture, in self defence 
as it were. He was an extensive manufacturer, 
and the difficulty of disposing of the refuse and 
waste of the establishment, compelled him to 
purchase a farm in the vicinity of the city, in 
enriching which, these matters have been most 
successfully employed. Those farmers who 
formerly could not be induced to receive such 
refuse materials as a gift, would now, after the 
proof they have seen of their value, be happy to 
purchase them at a liberal price. The furrier, 
the tanner, the morocco manufacturer, comb 
maker, &c. dm. are aU dealing in materials of 
the utmost value, when applied to the soil as 
manure; and the farmer little understands his 
true interests, who, living in the vicinity of any 
of these does not avail himself of these refuse 
matters to the utmost extent permitted. 
MANURE OF WOOL. 
Perhaps there is no substance more rich in 
matters valuable as manures, than the washings 
and refuse of woolen factories. Chapial was 
one of the first to call attention to this matter, 
and the instances he gave of their fertilizing 
power were of the most convincing kind. It is 
but very lately, however, that any attempts have 
been made in this country to render the refuse 
of our factories available. All remember, 
when around every factory and every clothier’s 
shop in the country, piles of refuse wool, clip- 
pings, pickings of cards, and sweepings, accu- 
