THE RURAL 
more is needed to keep up or restore fertility 
than is supplied by the usual rotation of crops 
and occasional manuring. It is also beginning 
to be admitted, as the result of many experi¬ 
ments, that the element most generally wanting 
in our clayey or lcam soils, where grass and grain 
are the chief products, is phosphoric acid. This 
idea is also Quito in accordance with the teach¬ 
ings of science—that this element was essential 
to fertility, and was not over-abundant in our 
soils naturally, while at the same time it has 
been carried off continually ia wheat and milk, 
as well as in the bones of animals. Of course, 
nitrogen (or ammonia) is also wanting in those 
worn soils; but this can be supplied by increas¬ 
ing the manure pile, as many farmers are 
doing. 
Then the question arises: Can the phosphoric 
acid be most economically snpplied in tbo form 
of superphosphate, or of pure ground bone? 
Most writers on these topics have asserted that 
plant-food, in order to he available, must be in a 
soluble form ; and as the phosphate of lime in 
bones is not counted soluble, except in a small 
degree, it is thought, to be too slow in its effect 
as a fertilizer, and hence should be treated with 
sulplmric acid, which separates the lime from 
the phosphoric acid and leavoB the latter in a 
soluble state, readily available as plant-food— 
while tho sulphuric acid and lime form sulphate 
of lime, or plaster, and tho whole compound is 
sold under the name of bone superphosphate. 
If the gelatine of the bones, which is lrrst separa¬ 
ted by steaming, is returned to the compound, as 
is commonly claimed, it produces from three to 
five per cent of ammonia ; and with this alone, 
or the addition of flesh and blood, or poorer ma¬ 
terials, tho compound is called “ ammoniatod 
superphosphate,” 
If tho articles commonly sold to our farmers 
aB superphosphate, were honestly such, or were 
only slightly adulterated, we should have less 
causo to Complain than now, and it might lie 
found true that for some purposes—us where 
only the crop of the first season is cared for— 
this may be tho best method of fertilizing ; but 
of this I have my doubts. Many farmers are 
grossly di'caived in supposing that a so-called 
superphosphate is a good article because it ia 
darker colored than ono having a full share of 
bone, and has a strong odor of ammonia, when 
in reality it is composed of flesh, blood and 
slaughter-house filth, with so little bone as to 
render it undeserving the name of superphos¬ 
phate, and not worth a quarter of tbo price asked 
for it. 
SALE OF FERTILIZERS AHO THE LAW. 
The use of these fertilizers will greatly in¬ 
crease if such laws are enacted as will protect 
the farmers from imposition in their purchase; 
and, of course, this will prove of benefit to hon¬ 
est manufacturers. Lot it be required that all 
the packages shall be distinctly marked with the 
percentage of tho different elements deemed of 
value, and the farmers would not only be thereby 
protected from fraud, but they would also bo 
greatly aided in deciding what kinds of fertilizers 
to use for different soils and purposes. As soon 
as our people begin to realize the Lmportauco of 
this subject, or tho magnitude which the trade 
in commercial fertilizers will shortly assume, the 
needed legislation will, no doubt, be secured. 
As Connecticut has led the way, we look to New 
York and Pennsylvania to follow, then our turn 
will come. 
QUESTIONS FOR THE AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTS. 
From my own experience and the results of 
many other experiments that I have observed, 
the past year or two, I am of tho opinion that 
most of ns have been too hasty in ndopting the 
belief that the ties! form for uring hone mate¬ 
rial as a fertilizer, is that of superphosphate— 
or that bone, especially when finely gronnd, is 
not speedily available as plaut-food. If this is 
all a mistake, it is one of great importance. Be¬ 
sides the door which it opens for deception and 
fraud, as before stated, there is an obvious waste 
of money or materials in the manufacture and 
purchase of superphosphate, if the supposed 
necessity lor the increased solubility of the phos¬ 
phoric acid is a mistake. A ton of good average 
superphosphate, costing say HO, contains only 
about twelve per cent, of phosphoric acid; 
whereas, a ton of finely ground bone contains 
twice as much, or twenty-five per cent., while in 
each there is wb mt an equal »mount of ammo¬ 
nia. The remainder of tbo superphosphate is 
mostly sulphate of lime and water, and that of 
the bouc mostly lime, with which the phosphoric 
acid is combined. 
Now from the results of a largo number of ex¬ 
periments, 1 am convinced that by means of the 
carbonic arid and water io tho soil, combined 
with the vital action of the roots —vide John¬ 
son’s •" How Crops Feed"—these small particles 
of bone are dissolved and assimilated as speedily 
as wanted by the growing plants. Of tho many 
facts that 1 could give iu support of this belief, 
I bavo only space for tho following, and it is 
most directly in point; because tho crop is one 
of tho quickest growth and maturity. 
RAPID EFFECTS OF GROUND BONE. 
Messrs. Hough <fc Son of Rootstown, Portage 
County, O., had five acres of clay loam soil, 
which they decided to sow with buckwheat. They 
knew that the land was poor, but having no fer¬ 
tilizer excepting one barrel (250 lbs.) of bone 
dust from the Salem Mill, they applied this 
broad-cast on one-half the field—only 100 lbs. 
per acre—and harrowed it in with the seed. Tho 
field was all aliko in other respects—sowed the 
last of June—the ground in fair order, and rain 
enough followed to bring the plants up io due 
time. Almost immediately after their appear¬ 
ance, it began to be seen that the plants on the 
fertilized half of the field were more vigorous 
than tho others ; and this difference increased 
as the season advanced, the growth of tho one 
side being fully twice as groat as that of the 
other; and at harvesting the fertilized portion 
gave fifty-six bushels of nice grain, while the 
other half was not worth cutting, and only gave 
six bushels. 
I found numerous instances where this bone- 
dust had been used by the farmers of Columbi¬ 
ana County, not far from Salem, with excellent 
results, when drilled in with wheat and grass 
seed, greatly benefiting tho wheat crop and se¬ 
curing a fine catch of grass and clover. Also 
applied on meadow and pasture land, a well- 
known dairy farmer in Geauga County used sev¬ 
eral tons of the bono with very satisfactory re¬ 
sults, where ho failed to see any benefit from a 
supposed fair article of superphosphate, applied 
at the same time as the boue, and at the same 
rate of 200 lbs. to the aore. I will give his ad- 
dresH to any one who desires it. 
Most of the experiments with superphosphate 
that I have observed, havo been with corn, which 
needs ammonia more thau phosphoric acid, and 
in a majority of cases there lias been obvious 
benefit, in giving the plants a start in the first 
part of the season ; but if the land was not oth¬ 
erwise enriched, the growth stopped when tho 
roots got away from tbo influence of the fertil¬ 
izer, which had been dropped in tho bills, and 
hence it did not help in the earing time. Of 
course, a larger application ia required for poor 
soil, and it needs working in broad-cast. I found 
the same true in regard to its use for garden 
crops : and there was no perceptible benefit the 
second year, even when freely applied, unless 
the first season was dry. The bone-dust applied 
at the same rate was more lasting, showing effect 
the second season, as well as the first, if.,/* sjt 
. freely used. 
Another question for the chemists is this :—It 
is a fact, I believe, that phosphoric acid will not 
remain in a free or soluble state when in contact 
with any alkaline base—as lime or magnesia— 
with which it can unite; and although its affin¬ 
ity for lime is overcome by the greater power of 
sulphuric acid, will nut that affinity cause it to 
again unite with tho lime Lhat is in the soil 
where it is applied and thus again form phos¬ 
phate of lime as insoluble as it was in the bone, 
before it is likely to be found by tho roots of 
plants ? Or. if lime is not present, which is sel¬ 
dom the case in Ohio, magnesia may take its 
place. This question I have never seen answer¬ 
ed, and it is plain, I think, that it is of much 
practical importance, affecting as it dots, the 
fundamental principle of tho value of super¬ 
phosphate as compared with simple bone for fer¬ 
tilizing. 
ABOUT BONE MILLS, 
or machinery for pulverizing bones, most per¬ 
sons who Lave undertaken the work have found 
serious difficulty ; and, as I bavo hinted, much 
of the objection that bone-meal is slow of effect 
as a fertilizer, is owing to its being coarsely 
grcuud. I have scon samples of the meal from 
at least half a dozen different establishments, 
Fast and West, and nearly all yf them bad the 
particles averaging as largo as wheat grains, 
some larger. And these were as fine, I believe, 
as bones can be ground by auy of tho iron or 
steel mills which have been constructed for the 
purpose. Tho contrivances for pulverizing by 
means of friction or attrition, aro found expen¬ 
sive aud unsatisfactory. The mill at Salem, O., 
is the only ono within my knowledge that pro¬ 
duces a really fine artielo of meal from pure raw 
bones, without auy previous softening or driving 
off the natural gelatine which adds to the fertil¬ 
izing effect. I visited this mill last September, 
and was greatly interested in learning from the 
farmers of tho region, bow much benefit it was 
doing in the way of stimulating thought and in¬ 
creasing the fertility of the lauds. The mill was 
then running night and day, producing five or 
six tons of meal every twenty-four hours; but 
this was not sufficient to meet the demands—so 
much or the article was being used for wheat 
sowing. 
The bones were obtained from nearly all parts 
of Ohio, and some from other StatoB—occasion¬ 
ally from the Western plains—and delivered by 
rail-cars within a few rods of the mill. All the 
preparation they required was the sorting out of 
such as were too wet or greasy—these being de¬ 
posited in an open yard aud simply exposed to 
the weather for a month or two. A powerful 
steam-engine is used, and the bones pass through 
several different kinds of grinding machinery, 
part of which is of the ordinary kind and of the 
strongest pattern, and part is of Mr. Shilling's 
own contriving, and which I am not at liberty to 
describe. 
Ono question more. Is there not a mistake in 
tho article in the Rubai, to which I have referred, 
(Dec. 29] quoting Berzelius, stating that ox- 
bones contain 33.30 per cent.—or one-third their 
weight—of gelatine ? I have not tho book at 
hand, but I think this cannot be correct. 
Palnesvlllo, O. M . B. Bateda>i. 
(The proportion of bone gelatine in ox-boncs 
—33.30—as given in our answer to a correspond¬ 
ent’s question in the issue of the Bubal referred 
to by Mr. Bate dam, is quite correct, according 
to analysis of Berzelius. Should tho works of 
that chemist bo inaccessible to any curious read¬ 
er, he will find a quotation from them of this 
analysis iu “Appleton’s Cyclopcedia.”— Eds. 
COTTON SEED. 
PROF A. W. MANGUM. 
Some time since I wrote you that many people 
in the cotton-raising territory, utilize the seed of 
tho cotton by feeding it to cattle. A poor man, 
who rented a honse from mo last winter, told 
me that he did not regard the expense of feed¬ 
ing his cow in winter, as lie gave her nothing 
but cotton seed. Tbo cost, iu this place, is 12J£ 
cents per bushel. The quantity given is from 
ffalf a gallon to a gallon, at a time. I have Mine- 
times used the Becd for my milch cows, regard¬ 
ing them as a valuable addition to other kinds of 
feed. They may be fed alone, or mixed with 
slops or moal. Largo quantities are said to be 
injurious both to cows and hogs. I have heard 
that hogs have died from eating too great a 
quantity at once. 
A farmer, from whom I have regularly pur¬ 
chased butter, explained the absence of the de¬ 
sirable yellow color in winter, by stating that he 
was not feeding meal hut simply cotton seed, in 
addition to the rough provender. Of course, the 
butter was not so valuable ; still it was not what 
we would call poor. 
But the seed can be much more extensively 
utilized, according to statements recently pub¬ 
lished in the organ of tbo Board of Agriculture 
iu North Carolina. It is from the pen of W. II. 
Oliver, Ncwbern, N. O. He argues that the 
seed may bo so manipulated as to sell for as 
*nueh as ouo-fnnrth of the entire cotton crop. 
He estimates that each ton of seed will make 
thirty-two gallons of oil and 700 pounds of oil¬ 
cake. The crude oil is put at 40 cts. per gallon, 
and tho cake at $25 per ton. For both of these 
there is an immense demand, great quantities of 
the cake being shipped to Europe, He claims 
that feeding the cake to Block fattens them, aud 
increases the quantity while improving the qual¬ 
ity of the manure. Of various kiuds of feed 
compared, the following snilicienlly indicates tho 
superiority claimed for what he calls the “cot¬ 
ton-seed meal 
Flesh pro- Fat pro- 
about two inches in diameter, nn old strap about 
a foot long, doubled it through the rings, leav¬ 
ing a ring at either end ; a few stitches in the 
middle, and a bit was made that answers every 
purpose, is not a terror on a frosty morning, 
and is in use yet. 
A HANDY “WHAT IS IT." 
It is not convenient to remove the manure 
from my stable with a fork and sliovtd alone, 
the deposit being too far away. The barn bar- 
row was burned, and a substitute must be de¬ 
vised. The hind wheel, A, of a boy's cast off 
cart was at hand. Tho wheels had been sawed 
out of a cottonwood board. An axle, B, was 
made about 2)4 feet long. Two white-ash poles, 
C, each about five feet long, were deuudtd of 
their bark aud framed into tho axle, and wo bad 
Ha^.,.... 
during. 
. 8 
dueing, 
50 
OH 
00 
Linseed Cake. 
. *6 
5i» 
Horn and Milt stuff . 
51 
Cotton-seed Meal. 
. 41 
T? 
Ho has ascertained that the cost of machin¬ 
ery to press $00,000 ponuds of seed per day is 
$5,150. After the oil is expressed, the residuum 
may be made into “ a very superior toilet and 
laundry soap.” no adds that tbo oil is used for 
many purposes—among others, that of adulter¬ 
ating other oils—aud is a superior salad oil. 
(Its use for adulteration, if tho term is employed 
iu its common sense, is, of course, to be con¬ 
demned.) Ho affirms that we might get from 
the seed, now almost wasted, enough food for 
every milk cow in the United States, salad oil 
enough for the world—and forty millions over, 
and soap enough for the United States. His 
expression “ almost wasted" may refer to tho 
custom, extensively prevailing, or using the seed 
as a fertilizer. Great quantities are used in 
composting. 
University of North Carolina. 
$antt ®o])ics, 
FARM HINTS. 
I like tho Rurat/s suggestion, of a few weeks 
since, that farmers shonld give a description of 
any cheap devices they may havo fouud to lie of 
value. I believe wo might “exchange” valu¬ 
able hints if we were awakened to tho buhject. 
A BRIDLE MENDED. 
A year or two since, while busily at work on 
the farm, the bit in “ Charley’s” mouth parted 
in the middle, and could not be tied or wired to¬ 
gether to do temporary service. My boy entire¬ 
ly removed the pieces, took two rings, each 
tho handles to onr “ What is it.” For legs, D, 
strips of cottonwood, about three inches wido 
and two feet long, were miiled securely to the 
handles, C. three inches projecting above. For 
braces, E, longer strips were nailed to the foot 
of the legs, extending just outside the handles, 
to which they were also nailed, and projecting 
about a foot in front of tho axle. B. The staves 
of a rickety barrel wore laid across the handles 
and across the braces where they extended in 
front, and were fastened with shinglo noils 
and-the baby begged for just one ride. The 
bicycle (?) is loaded in the stable, run out upon 
the manure heap and tipped over endwise in¬ 
stead of sidewise. 
Mora perhaps, by and by, if we get quul pro 
quo in exchange. R- H. Crane. 
.- -- — 
A GOOD FARMER. 
PROF. W. J. BEAL. 
I give a few notes taken at the residence of J. 
D. Adams in Climax. Kalamazoo County Michi¬ 
gan. He has a farm of some 700 acres nearly 
all of whioh was purchased at different times at 
a very low price many years ago. The soil was 
strong and first-rate, bearing some Burr Oak 
and Hickory. It was only very gently rolling 
and needed no ditching. This farm has taken 
some premiums as the best in the State. Mr. 
Adams began as a poor man. He labored for 
the money to buy bis land. 
His house and barns are neat and well built, 
though there is nothing extravagant about them. 
The floors of the barns are all laid on grout 
which does not perruil vermin to find a biding 
place. The cost is not very great, aud the own¬ 
er is always gratified with tho result. No cold 
currents blow under the floor. No animals 
injure their limbs by breaking through the 
floor. There is a wind-mill on top of the barn, 
which pnmps water into the tank in the loft of 
tho barn. From the tank run pipes to tanka 
for the stock. Everthing is ■well built—from 
first to last—to prevent accident and freqnent 
repairs. Tho proprietor is ingenious, and makes 
many little repairs though he does not do all the 
work on his buildings. 
He has always practiced mixed husbandry. 
Everything is convenient. He keeps, if I re¬ 
member right, seventeen borsos, 300 sheep, 
about firty cattle and a largo nnmber of hogs 
and fowls, yet two men take good care of all 
these, and find roncli time to get up wood and 
do other work. The stalks are drawn from the 
field as they are needed to feed. This winter, in 
good weather, ho has fed cattle every day in the 
orchard. The stalks will servo aH a good mulch 
next year. He fattens some steers and sheep. He 
is particular to save an abundance of seed com 
early and stores it in a perforated iron chest in 
tho chamber of bis house. He has not had any 
freaks of running wild; from ono part of farm¬ 
ing to another, but has kept on an even course. 
Mr. Adams has learned from experience and from 
others with whom ho has como in contact. We 
judge he is not a book-farmer in any sensoof 
the word. With more knowledge of what others 
have douo as recorded in books and papers, he 
would, no doubt, have made still more raoueyas 
a farmer. 
We attribute his success to buying at a low 
price excellent land which needed no ditching - 
to his ingenuity, and thorongh way of doing all 
kinds of work; to his steadily adhering to some 
system or fanning; to his economy in the use 
of money and time, as shown in his saving o 
