208 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 15. 
i 
My mother kissed me here: 
My father pressed my hand— 
Forgive this foolish tear, 
But let that old oak stand ! 
My heart-strings round thee cling, 
Close as thy bark, old friend ! 
Here shall the wild-bird sing; 
And still thy branches bend. 
Old tree! the storm shall brave ! 
And, woodman, leave the spot; 
While I’ve a hand to save, 
Thy axe shall harm it not! 
BONES DISSOLVED BY WOOD-ASHES. 
A friend of ours, in whom we have entire confidence, 
informs us that seven years ago ho fell into the practice of 
reducing bones by means of ashes, by a sort of fortunate 
blunder. Being at the head of a very large family, in 
which fresh meat was largely consumed, he found that his 
Irish cook was in the habit of throwing all the bones out of 
the back window. This drew such a bevy of dogs, with voices, 
bass, tenor, and treble, about the house, that it was impos¬ 
sible to sleep quietly. In order to withdraw temptation 
from the dogs, and to preserve the bones for the use of his 
land, to be prepared in some way then unknown, he ordered 
the bones to be carried and put into an old sugar hogshead, 
placed in a grove at a little distance from the house, and 
the ashes from the kitchen to be thrown on them, the hogs¬ 
head to be uncovered that the rain might fall into it. 
Whenever an offensive smell arose from the bones, which 
was only in dry times, he found that a little water thrown 
on prevented it. As soon as the first hogshead was full, 
another was placed by it and filled, and then another. His 
intention was to use the ashes and bones on Indian corn, 
supposing that by the next spring the bones would be 
somewhat softened, so much so that they might be pounded 
to pieces with a sledge hammer on a flat stone. The 
hammer and the stone were actually procured for the 
purpose. But no bones were found, except near the top of 
the hogshead last filled. Instead of the bones, were found 
soft soponaceous masses, retaining the form and size of the 
original bones, but none of their hardness. They were 
easily cut through with a shovel and mixed with the ashes ; 
and when so mixed and applied to corn at the rate of half 
a pint to the hill, they proved an excellent manure for corn. 
The experiment has been repeated every year since with 
good effect, not only producing great crops of corn, but 
manifestly leaving the ground in good order for a succeeding 
crop, with but very little yard manure, not more than a 
quarter of what would be regarded as a fair dressing, say 
from three to four loads to the acre. The land is a light 
loam, and has been uuder the plow incessantly for more 
than twenty years, beariug for the last eight years hoed 
crops every year, generally corn and potatoes alternately, 
but some of the time corn two years in succession. As yet 
this land shows no diminution of crops, but rather an 
increase. In 1851 a comparison was instituted between 
bone earth procured in market at 2^ cents per pound, the 
best Peruvian guano, and this mixture of bones and ashes. 
The quantity of the bone earth and of the guano applied 
to the hill was just half that of the bones reduced by ashes. 
The effect of the bone earth procured in market was barely 
perceptible as compared with rows that were unmanured; 
the effect of the guano* and of the house-made bone earth 
(the bones reduced by ashes) was very striking, that of the 
guano being more manifest in June and July, but that of 
the bones with ashes giving decidedly the best crop in 
October. 
The friend who has communicated the foregoing facts, 
gives the following, ns what he believes the true theory of 
the action of moistened ashes on bones, and of the influence 
of the mixture thus formed on crops. 
Bones are about one-third organic, and about two-thirds 
inorganic matter, the former consisting of oil and glue; 
the latter mostly of phosphate of lime, with a very little 
carbonate of lime. It is a well-known fact, that if you put 
a bone into a strong ley and let it remain a few weeks, the 
potash of the ley will combine with the organic part of the 
bone, forming with it soap; the earthy part, principally 
phosphate of lime, will retain essentially the form and 
appearance of the original bone; but if examined closely, 
will be found to have lost its texture; and if mixed with any 
dry substance, as clay, loam, or peat, may be easily enuu- 
1 bled with it into a powdery mass. This is very similar 
to the process of reducing bones by ashes. Were the bones 
to be put into dry ashes, they would heat, as in Mr. Pusey’s 
experiments, would crumble to pieces, and the organic part 
would escape in the form of ammonia and other gases. 
But if water be added, enough to keep the ashes moist, and 
to exclude in a great measure the entrance of air,"then the 
organic part of the bones will combine with potash and j 
water, forming soap, and will leave the inorganic part (the ; 
phospate and carbonate of lime) in a state to be easily i 
mixed with any dry substance in the form of an impalpably 
fine powder; and although the phosphate may not have 
become as soluble as when changed to a super-phosphate by 
sulphuric acid, yet owing to the minuteness of its division, it 
seems to be sufficiently soluble. The manure thus formed, i 
containing all the ingredients of wood-ashes and bones, is 
found to influence the growth of the crop sufficiently early in 
the season, though not quite as promptly as guano, and to 
hold out and mature the seed perfectly. When composed 
of five or six parts by weight of hard wood-ashes to one of 
bones, and kept in a cool place and sufficiently moist to 
prevent the escape of ammonia, it cannot be worth much 
if any less than half the price of Peruvian guano, as a 
manure for Indian corn.— (The American Country Gentleman.) 
('The potash in the wood-ashes not only dissolves the 
organic constituents of the bones, but decomposes the 
phosphate of lime, forming phosphate of potash.) 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
*** We request that no one will write to the departmental writers of 
The Cottage Gardener. It gives them unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. All communications should be addressed “ To the Editor of 
The Cottage Gardener , 2, Amen Corner , Paternoster Row , London 
Primula Stuartii {Primula). —This flower may, perhaps, be heard 
of at Kcw ; we arc not aware whether it is in the trade. It is a native of 
Nepal, was named by the late Hr. Wallich, and is figured in plate 
4,356 of The Botanical Magazine . 
Aloes as a Destroyer of Plant-Lice {Philo). — All that we 
know about the subject is the following:—“The * Agriculture * pub¬ 
lishes a letter from M. Raspail, giving an account of a plan for destroying 
vermin on animals, and also trees and plants. The process he recom¬ 
mends is to make a solution of Aloes (one gramme of that gum to a 
litre of water), and, by means of a long brush, to wash over the trunks 
and branches .of trees with this solution, which will speedily, he says, 
destroy all the vermin on them, and effectually prevent others from 
approaching. In order to clean sheep and other animals with long hair, 
they must either be bathed with this solution, or be well washed with it. 
The writer mentions several trials which he had made of the solution 
with the most complete success, and very strongly recommends it to 
general use.— Paris Correspondent of Morning Advertiser.” If, there¬ 
fore, Philo tiies the experiment, he will not be far from the above 
proportions if he dissolves seventeen grains of powdered Aloes in a quart 
of water. 
Ants {Amateur). —Frequently disturbing their nests, and mixing up 
with them a little ammoniacul liquor from the gas works, will probably 
expel them. Ho not put in much of the liquor at a time, or you may 
injure the plants in your frame. 
New Zealand (J. W. C. W.). —If you pay the money to our pub¬ 
lishers, they will take care that The Cottage Gardener is sent to you 
; regularly in any part of the world. Any Seeds that succeed when sown 
in the open ground in England will succeed in New Zealand. If you 
buy our No. 212, you will find there full directions for Packing Trees 
and Plants for the Antipodes. We do not know whether the seeds of 
grocers’ fruits will vegetate, some probably would, but we are quite sure 
that they are not worth the trial. We know of no means of preserving 
the vitality of Eggs during a four months’ voyage. You will find full 
directions for Writing on Zinc labels in our No. 287- 
Strawberry Plants {Tyro). —Those planted last September which 
have not blossomed will probably do so next year. You may take run- 
i ners from either one or two-year old plants. We know of no difference 
I in their bearing powers. For early fruiting , we should plant Keen’s 
1 .Seedling, Hooper’s Seedling, and Black Prince. For main crop, Thom’s 
Seedling, Compte de Paris, and British Queen. For late fruiting, the 
Elton. 
London: Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High-street, 
in the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, of Church Hill, Walthamstow, in the County of 
Essex, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, in the Parish of Christ 
Church, City of London.—June 15th, 1854. 
