DISSOLVING BONES IN SULPHURIC ACID. 
it with their hoes, must take great care to prevent 
it from bursting over the sides of the earthen 
basin. In a short time, however, the cauldron be¬ 
comes quiet, and the bones disappear -altogether, 
except a few fragments; so that the heap may be 
shovelled together, and might be drilled on the 
«ame day, but this would not be advisable, as some 
small lumps, still half liquid, remain in the com- 
ost. On the first occasion, the earth and dissolved 
ones were left mixed together, and though per¬ 
fectly cool when so left, I learned, on returning, 
after six weeks’ absence, that a second heating had 
soon taken place, and found that the heap was hot 
still. The offensive smell was gone, and was re¬ 
placed by the musky odor of rotten dung. I men¬ 
tion this circumstance because I am anxious to 
draw to it the attention of chemists. This second 
fermentation may be that of the animal matteT con¬ 
tained in the bones, and may bring out its ammo¬ 
nia ; if so, it will be a question whether it be de¬ 
sirable thus to give time for the formation of am¬ 
monia before the manure is applied ; or whether it 
be better to drill the compost at once, allowing the 
ammonia to be produced under ground, and so be 
supplied to the young plant more gradually. 
“ The compost thus made was tried in July on 
some light land, very much exhausted, and natu¬ 
rally unkind for the growth of turnips. The trial 
ground was about two acres. On one part the 
compost of bones and acid was drilled at the rate 
of 4k bushels of bones to the acre; on another 
part, bones at the rate of 20 bushels to an acre; and 
I added, on a third part, a manure (purchased from 
Mr. Fothergili) under the name of superphosphate 
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 superphosphate prepared by Mr. Fothergili not 
t only surpassed the bones, but also that which I had 
‘manufactured myself. Possibly the quantity of 
Mr. Fothergill’s may have been too large for com¬ 
parison ; 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 could 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 tur¬ 
nips 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 :— 
Manure per acre. Cost. Yield of turnips. 
1. 20 bushels of bones.55s..44| cwt. 
2. 4£ bushels of bones with 
100 lbs. sulphuric acid - • -22s..49£ cwt. 
3. 2 cwt. Mr. Fothergill’s su¬ 
perphosphate....14s.53 cwt. 
“ 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 average of a light arable farm. The trouble 
207 
of preparation is slight, and of its application next 
to nothing; for Mr. Hornsby informs me that his 
turnip-drill will distribute equally as small a quan¬ 
tity as 15 bushels over an acre; as then the 4k 
bushels of dissolved bones do not require to be 
mixed with more than ten or fifteen bushels of 
earth, and his drill holds 25 bushels, the use of this 
compost would not require more than one stoppage 
for drill on each acre. 
“ Mr. Fothergill’s preparation, if the quantity 
assumed be correct, was still more successful, and, 
having tried it elsewhere, I am enabled to speak 
more highly of it. A neighbor, to whom I sup¬ 
plied some, found that 2 cwt. of this superphos¬ 
phate, costing then 14s., answered better on his 
land for turnips than 2k cwt. of the best Peruvian 
guano, for which he had paid 32s. 
“ Having tried the method described above, t 
venture 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, 4| bushels, 
be the right dose per acre. It is very likely that 
phosphorus should not he administered sidgly, but 
should be combined with potash, as Dr. Liebig ad¬ 
vises. These are points which I beg to recom¬ 
mend to our members for future inquiry. 
“ Such are the assured advantages to be derived 
to the turnip crop by the solution of bones, but we 
may further hope to see the use of superphosphate 
extended even to corn crops. Theory certainly re¬ 
quires it; for, according to Boussingault, a crop of 
four quarters of wheat to the acre draws from that 
acre of ground at least 30 lbs. of phosphoric acid. 
Experience countenances it, for though bone ma¬ 
nure 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, the product of 
which was as follows :— 
One acre. 
No manure. 
£0 
Cost. 
00s. 
0d- 
Bushels. 
---29 
Rape-dust, 5 cwt. 
1 
12s. 
6d- 
...38 
Urate, 6 cwt. 
1 
12s. 
6d- 
•••38 
Dung, 30 loads... 
4 
10s. 
0d- 
...40 
Guano, 34 cwt. 
2 
4s. 
0d- 
...40 
Superphosphate, 6 cwt. 
2 
4s. 
9d- 
. . . 53 
“ The increase of 24 bushels, that is, three quar¬ 
ters of wheat per acre, by the use of superphos¬ 
phate, is enormous, 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 eight pounds for two, 
this manure is so cheap that a much smaller in¬ 
crease in the wheat crop would pay for its use.” 
As the statements herein quoted from Mr. Pusey 
appear to be well founded, we think the experi¬ 
ments are worthy of a trial in this country. Thfe 
expenses attending them would be comparatively 
trifling, considering the benefits that might be likely 
to result therefrom. The cost of ground bones in 
the neighborhood of our cities and large towns, 
would not exceed $1 per hundred pounds, and that 
of sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol), 3 cents per lb.. 
