388 
STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
head; and the last six inches of the top should be filled with 
ashes alone. The whole should be left under cover, but yet so 
kept that the air may have pretty free access to it. This mass 
of bones and ashes must be kept moistened with water for at 
least six months, and no matter if it be a year; and should it 
leak, the ley ought to be turned back. Should you mix in the 
mass a few pieces of iron pyrites, or place on the top at times 
sulphur, plaster of Paris, or copperas, you may water the mass 
with human urine, and so save the richest manure yet discov¬ 
ered. The pyrites, sulphur, plaster of Paris, or copperas, 
should be just so much as would prevent the ammonia from 
escaping. When one hogshead is filled, another may be set 
up, and filled in the same manner. Your work is now done 
for six months, except to take care of the watering and cover. 
The work will go on almost as well in winter as summer. 
At the end of six months, or more, as convenience and work 
permit, if the work has been well done, and the ashes are good, 
you will see the result. The oil and gelatine of the bones will 
all be taken up by the potash, and the bones will be so soft as 
to be readily cut by the shovel, or broken with a wooden maul. 
The whole mass should now be removed to a board floor, the 
bones pulverised, and all mixed, and put away in a dry place 
for use. It will improve by age, and especially if occasionally 
shovelled over, and a little salt, say a pint to a bushel, may be 
added, once. When the mass shall become perfectly dry by 
the action of the air, it will consist among other things of the 
following materials: the earthly materials of the ashes, con¬ 
sisting of siliea, alumina and lime, which will help to give 
consistency to the sandy lands, pure potash, nitrate of potash, 
or saltpetre, urate of potash, phosphate of potash, phos¬ 
phate of lime, sulphate of potash, sulphate of ammonia, 
uratephosphate of ammonia, chlorides of potash, lme and 
ammonia, with some other salts, in small quantities, every one 
of which will be in a proper form to enter into the composition 
of vegetable beings. On the whole, the mass will be not much 
less valuable than the celebrated Peruvian Guano, in its manu- 
rial qualities. 
