167 
1850. THE CULTIVATOR. 
plank, full of sap, evidently enlarge as the frost 
leaves them, and they continue to expand by the 
heat. 
This contraction when frozen, and expansion by 
warmth, is always traiasverse and never lengthwise. 
In length, green and seasoned timber, fit and pre¬ 
serve their fitting, when mixed in a frame, perfect¬ 
ly well. 
There is a great difference in trees, and shrubs, 
and herbs, in their bleeding, as it called, when cut, 
and that difference is not yet explained. Cut off a 
twig of Lilac, Poplar, Eton, Oak, Pines, White 
Birch, &c., and very little sap will flow out in the 
spring, or at any season. Cut off a twig of some 
grapes, and the sap will flow in profusion in May 
and June. Cut down a Yellow Birch in winter, and 
no sap will flow from either part-; but, when the 
frost is wholly out of the ground, that stump will 
throw out a great quantity of sap, containing no 
sugar, for many weeks. The activity is in the roots 
alone, for the trunk and leaves are not there, nor 
any expansion above to lead up the sap. It is the 
activity of life. The stump of the oak, elm, beech, 
&c., operate not at all in this manner. But, if an 
incision is made in the trunk of a Yellow Birch, 
while the stump of the other is flowing, sap will 
issue in abundance from the incision, and only a part 
will ascend into the limbs. 
If the Butternut is tapped when in frozen ground, 
the sap flows abundantly till the ground is thawed, 
when it wholly ceases. This tree is late in the 
spring, in showing any action in its buds. The life 
in the roots would seem to be the moving power. It 
is well known that this sap yields a bitterish sugar, 
having the butternut taste, and quite cathartic. A 
coloring matter, rather nauseous, is also in it. 
The Sugar Maple, being tapped, sends forth abun¬ 
dance of sap when the ground thaws by day and 
freezes by night. If the freezing does not occur for 
two or three nights, it yields no sap; but if the 
freezing occurs, the sap runs abundantly. Hence, 
if a snow falls at this time, and the cold affects the 
earth to freezing, so great a rush of sap follows, 
that this is usually termed a sugar-snow. When the 
freezing ceases, the sap no longer runs from the ori¬ 
fice or incision, but there can be no doubt it flows 
from the roots to the extremities of the tree in pro¬ 
fusion. 
When a root of the Sugar Maple is cut in the time 
of the running of the sap from an incision, the sap 
flows out from both ends of the severed root and its 
severed parts. This fact has been lately proved by 
actual experiment, and the sap from each part 
found to be sweet. 
When an incision is made in the maple in sap 
time, the sap flows chiefly and nearly entirely from 
the upper side of the cut. This proves that it is 
the sap, already ascended into the trunk, which runs 
downwards and outwards by the incision. Does not 
the freezing of the ground compel the sap upwards 
into the tree, and detain it there so that it can be 
discharged by descent to the cutting made in the 
tree? 
Cut off a twig of the common cultivated grape 
after the frost is out of the ground, and like the Yel¬ 
low Birch, the sap will run f6r weeks. A tube has 
been fastened tight around the cut part, and the sap 
flowed to the height of twenty feet in the tube. In 
this is seen again the operation of that mighty prin¬ 
ciple, life. 
These differences are great and wonderful. How 
little is known yet of the causes of diversity. The 
subject is worthy of experiment and observation, 
only let there be care anil certainty. Saccharine. 
JJeglatelr Jllanuraf—Jflo. 5. 
Bones, Ivory Dust, Horn, Wool and Hair. 
Analytical Laboratory, Yale College, ) 
New-Haven, Conn., April , 1850. ) 
Eds. Cultivator —In addition to the method for 
dissolving bones by means of sulphuric acid, men¬ 
tioned in my last letter, I ought here to say a few 
words respecting a new process for reducing bones, 
which has attracted a good degree of attention in 
England. Steam is the agent employed. A boiler 
is made for the purpose, capable of bearing a pres¬ 
sure of from 30 to 40 pounds per square inch; in the 
lower part is the water box; this has a floor above, 
on which the bones are placed, and exposed to the 
action of the steam. According to the method 
which seems most advisable, a pressure of 25 to 30 
pounds of steam is given for 24 hours. At the ex¬ 
piration of this time the charge is withdrawn, and 
the bones are found to be in such a state, that they 
can easily be crushed to a fine powder with a mal¬ 
let. 
This powder is said to produce remarkable effects 
upon turneps and other crops, even when applied in 
quite small quantities. By the continued steaming, 
every portion of the bones is brought into a very 
readily decomposable state, so as to be available at 
once for plants. The water which remains in the 
boiler, has a certain portion of gelatine from the 
bones dissolved in it, and of course should be saved, 
for sprinkling over the land as a top-dressing, or to 
mix into a compost heap. 
In order to prevent the gelatine from decompo¬ 
sing, and to avoid the consequent loss of ammonia 
that would ensue, it is recommended to mix salt 
with the powder before it dries. This also, in most 
cases, materially increases the value of the manure 
because it adds still another ingredient to the soiL 
The effects of this manure have not as yet beeia 
fully tested, in comparison with the other forms of 
bones mentioned, but during the coming season there 
will probably be extensive experiments. I have 
mentioned it here, that farmers may know what is 
meant by steamed bones, and may appreciate any 
results obtained by their use. 
I have lately had some of the ivory dust from 
comb factories, sent in for examination ; it has been 
analysed by Mr. Crane, one of my assistants. He 
found it to differ in composition from ordinary bone, 
as to its amount of phosphates. The following ta¬ 
ble gives the result of Mr. Crane’s analysis, as com¬ 
pared with two by Dr. Thomson, on other classes^ 
of bones. 
Organic matter, or gelatine,... 
Phosphate of lime,. 
Carbonate of lime,. 
Bones of 
Bones of 
Ivory 
a Sheep. 
a Haddock. 
Dust, 
.... 4.3.3 
39.5 
37.7 
56.1 
56.1 
.... 4.5 
3.6 
3.£f 
little 
.... 1.4 
1.6 
1.5 
99.8 
100.8 
99.2 
This agreement in the composition of ivory with 
that of dried fish bones was quite unexpected to me, 
and is really very remarkable. In both, there is 
considerably more phosphate of lime present than in 
•other bones, and their value as permanent manures 
is of course greater. The above is one of those 
singular coincidences that we often find in chemis¬ 
try. It would not be supposed that ivory, so com¬ 
pact and so hard, was so positively identical in its 
composition with soft and brittle fish bones. 
The ivory dust of the comb, and other factories, 
where it is produced, is an extremely valuable ma¬ 
nure. It is already reduced to a fine powder, and 
