Woy 
THE 
AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. _ Jury 14, 1906 
Bone Manure. 
W.R. GILBERT, Iy “ THE FARMING WOR £D,7? 
—— 
It is doubtful whether we pay as much 
-attention to the use of bone as manure as~ 
the subject demands. G-rman gardeners 
Jong ago used bone manure in their hot 
houses, bnt cultivators of other nationali- 
‘ties began to use them hesitatinuly, aud 
cautiously. As soon, bowever, as their 
vutility as a fertilising agent was assured, 
England, for one, imported large quan- 
tities of hones from Germany, and there 
Was ut one time a saying that one ton of 
German bone dust saved the importation 
of ten tons of German grain. As Malta 
-covered her bare rocks with soil from 
dands, so England fertilizes her barren 
~elays and sandy heaths with bones from 
Germany. 
The principal element in the action of 
‘ones is phosphate of lime, which is indis- 
pensable to the growth of nearly all plants, 
Sut it is scarce in many soils: and is 
sspeedily exhausted, 
Analysis show that it is a constant 
Ingredient in most plants; it is found in 
‘the yea pod, the bran. the Scotch pine, in 
rice, in th» roots of the peony, and tho 
wa'er lly, and strange to say, in the 
pollen of the date palm ; 39.3 per cent. in 
“the ashes of the grains of cats, 44.5 in 
those of the graitis of wheat, 46.5 in the 
sashes of bran, 32.5 in the seeds of barley. 
These proportions show forcibly how 
indispensable the phosphate of lime is to 
the most useful of Gur farm crops, turnips, 
- potatoes, and other culinary plants ; 
-clover and grasses are alike dependent 
mpon it. Bones are most usefpl on porous 
soil:, because their phosphates is slow of 
diberation, and can only be set free by the 
-actidn of the air, hence it is more freely 
evolved in soil in which aeration is free, 
fulland rapid. It remains perfectly fixed 
and stubborn in soils where it is locked 
“up fiom atmospheric influenc:s. This 
shows the necessity of having the land in 
perfectly friable condition | efore planting 
<% rc ot erop. ’ 
Another powerful consideration in the 
fertilising quality of bones is their extra- 
ordinary capacity of absorbing and retain- 
ing moisture; on arid soils this is of 
great cor sequence, especially upon crops 
which make their growth during the heat 
ard drought of some summers. Bone 
manure is not only found to benefit the 
puriicular crop to which it is applied, but 
its influence extends through the whole 
course of crops and is noticeable for years. 
“The writer knows of a field, one part of 
which was manured with farmyard manure 
-and the other with bones, and the boned 
“part was visibly superior fifteen years 
dJater ; the fact that the bones’ slow 
-manner of freezing the phosphate, and the 
time it takes for, them to entirely decom- 
spose, will account forthe length of time 
ebones may benefit the land. 
—__. 
THE POULTRY 
——— 
YA&RD. 
Lie R se nee 
The Muscovy Duek, 
(By Henry Lawsoy,) 
The rooster is a brai 
he sports a crest _ 
The hen’s an awful fool we know, though 
hen eggs are the best : a 
She'll flutter, cackling, anywhere save thro 
®@ gate or door, 
And try to hatch a door-knob, too, for forty 
days or more, 
The turkey is of no account, we'll let it go 
in peace, 
And other fowls are orname 
are simply geese; 
But over all that cackle, 
quack or cluek, 
My favorite shall always be. the quaint 
Muscovy duck, 
nless dude, although 
nts, and geese 
hiss or gobble, 
T’m fond of Mrs Muscovy, I think she 
knows the most 
Of all the different kinds of fowls that 
poultry breeders boast. 
She knows how best to buiid her nest when 
laying time is past, 
And you shou!d see the knowing pride with 
which she sets at last, ; 
She waddles out for food and drink—she’s 
not afraid of us, . 
And if we fix her now and then she doesn’t 
make a tuss ; 
No frantic flaps of useless wings, no cackle, 
hiss nor cluck, _ 
She’s queen of all philosophers—the quaint 
Muscovy duck. 
It is a wondrous thing to see. and a won. 
drous thing to tell, 
Her ducklngs know as much as ducks the 
day they leave the shell. 
That she is proud as proud can be, is plain 
to any dunce— ‘ 
The little ducklings set to work to grow up 
ducks at once ; ; 
And, on # sunny winter’s da ti 
_, thing for the eyes retraces 
To see her waddle round and watch her 
‘al apek lings catching flies. 
ove her for her waddle and he i 
and her pluck, ear 
Her wag of tail and nod of head—th i 
Muscovy duck. Se paiad 
ee 
Mate 
Hatch 
Advertise 
Be patient, 
Go carefully 
Be systematic 
Have a good male 
Females, too, by the way 
Why won’t you keep accounts ? 
Don’t let the lice get all the profits 
Plan for a constant green stuff supply 
camiietedene 
Incubator. 
D. Lanyon, 
Rundle Street, 
KENT TOWN, S.A. 
