94 
FAIR OF THE WASHINGTON-COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
much better than white or read led, made into a 
paste with boiled linseed oil. 
The water for generating steam is filled in 
the boiler to the depth of 12 inches from the 
bottom, and as the space between the true 
bottom of the boiler and the slip bottom, on 
which the bones rest, is 9 inches, the water rises 
about 3 inches amongst the bones. From the 
time of kindling the fire, it takes about one hour 
to get up the steam. During 24 hours, the steam 
is kept as uniformly as possible at a pressure of 
25 lbs. to a square inch, a boiling during 22 
hours having previously been tried, but found 
insufficient for reducing afterwards the bones 
to powder with ease. As no water can 
escape in the form of steam during the boil¬ 
ing, one filling is sufficient. Before the with¬ 
drawing of the charge, the fire is removed, the 
steam let off through the safety valve, and about 
3 bucketsful of the watery liquid, equivalent 
to 71 gallons, drawn off, in order to reduce the 
water to a little below the false bottom, on which 
the bones rest. The man hole is then unscrew¬ 
ed, and the whole allowed to cool down for a 
little while. While still warm, the contents of 
the boiler are shovelled out successively by one 
man who is assisted by another, in crushing the 
bones, by means of a wooden mallet. The re¬ 
ducing to powder is rendered so easy by this 
process, that it requires no longer time for crush¬ 
ing the bones than for taking them out of the 
boiler as fast as they are shovelled out as soon 
they are mashed into a rough powder by the 
second man. It is necessary to bring the bones 
under the action of the wooden mallet, in suc¬ 
cessive portions when still warm; for when 
allowed to become cool, they require a greater 
effort to bring them to powder. The steamed 
bones treated in this manner contain much 
water, absorbed in the boiler; thrown into a 
heap, while yet warm, they not only retain their 
original heat, but in a very short time the tem¬ 
perature of the heap increases very conside¬ 
rably, and at the same time a most disagreeable 
smell of putrefying animal matter is given off. 
The fermentation of the bones, however, which 
is the cause of this, and consequently the loss of 
ammonia, may be prevented entirely by adding a 
small dose of common salt to the steam boxes. 
Nearly 1,100 lbs. of bones are thus prepared at 
one time, by the use of a boiler of the fore- 
named size, and at a cost for fuel, where peat or 
anthracite coal are used, scarcely amounting to 
50 cents. This process requires less fuel than 
burning, and it has this further advantage: that 
not a particle of the substance of bone is wasted. 
Dissolving with Sulphuric Acid requires that 
the bones be first partially broken up, then 
thrown into ti Y.« or casks and saturated with 
diluted sulphuric acid, as before detailed in our 
columns. 
Decomposition by Fermentation is the last pro¬ 
cess we shall mention. If fresh bones are 
thrown into compact heaps and mixed with 
moist sandy loam and ashes, they will gradually 
become heated and decomposed. The result 
will be materially hastened, by occasionally 
sprinkling with urine, and especially by mixing 
with horse manure. If the bones have been 
deprived of their animal matter, they will not 
ferment. The presence of nitrogen is essential 
to induce and carry forward fermentation, and 
this is only found in the anamalised matter of 
the bones. During the decomposition of bones, 
putrefactive odors are given off, which occasion 
a loss to the manure heap, while they are an 
insufferable annoyance to the olfactories. This 
objection, however, may, in a good degree, be 
remedied, by covering the heap with rich de¬ 
cayed turf, peat, plaster, charcoal, or any other 
absorbents. 
The value of bones for agriculture may be 
inferred from the fact, that nearly 33,000 tons 
were imported into England in 1848. The value 
of bones used for agricultural purposes in that 
country, annually, is estimated at about $4,400,- 
000. In the United States, they are fast becom¬ 
ing appreciated, and it will not be long before 
every bone in this country will be carefully 
husbanded, and applied to the augmentation of 
our crops. 
FAIR OF THE WASHINGTON-COUNTY AGRICUL¬ 
TURAL SOCIETY. 
The Washington-county Agriculture Fair, held 
at Argyle Corner, September 18th and 19th, 
1850, all things considered, was a respectable 
exhibition. The society has no purchased 
grounds, consequently no buildings relieve its 
members from the necessity of making charge 
for and handing out admission tickets—all free 
except those who enter as competitors for pre¬ 
miums. There were exhibited the best horses, 
taking them altogether, I have seen this season. 
They were all fine, studs, geldings, brood 
mares, colts, &c. The Black-hawk breed here 
stands A,No. 1. 
The exhibition of horned cattle was creditable 
to the owners. A fine team of oxen, some nine 
pairs long, was exhibited by the neighboring 
! farmers, drawing a wagon 30 feet long or more, 
j loaded with a great variety of the products of 
