haa 
gives decided preference to the drill method,— 
and this, whether the bone-manure be used alone, 
or in combination or accompaniment with other 
materials. 
The usual manner of dropping bone-manure in 
drills, is either simultaneously with the turnip 
seed, by means of a machine for the purpose, at- 
tached to the turnip sowing-machine, or in de- 
positions separately made from the seed, by 
means of a machine wholly employed for itself. 
Models of five machines for the former of these 
methods, and of one for the latter, may be seen 
in the museum of the Highland Society ; and are 
described, in language which we shall quote, in 
the descriptive catalogue of the museum. One 
of the turnip and bone-dust sowing-machines is 
adapted for sowing two drills, with a simultane- 
ous deposit of the seed and the manure. “ It 
is mounted on two wheels, which serve to turn 
both the seed and the bone-dust apparatus. The 
former consists of the common tin seed-barrels ; 
the latter, of two wooden hoppers to contain the 
| bones, and carrying in their bottom each a wide- 
| toothed or notched wheel, which, by its revolu- 
| tion, discharges the bones into a tube which ter- 
minates, in common with the seed-tube, in the 
chamber of the coulter. The discharge of the 
bones is regulated by a slider which enlarges or 
diminishes the passage from the hoppers. The 
machine is drawn by one horse; and the distance 
between the coulters is regulated by hand-gear.” 
Another turnip and bone-dust sowing-machine 
was invented by Mr. Nicol of Guildy in Forfar- 
shire, and bears date 1830, but ranks merely as 
one of the early combinations of the machinery 
for simultaneously depositing the seed and the 
manure. “The principles of this machine,” says 
the Catalogue, “ are much like those of the for- 
mer; though the arrangement of the parts and 
modes of communicating the motions are some- 
what different. The machine moves on one large 
roller, and a fore-wheel without a swivel-bar ; 
the former gives motion to the sowing-gear ; and 
the adjustment of the coulters is effected by 
hand-gear not self-acting.’ A third turnip and 
bone-dust machine bears the date of 1830, and 
was invented by Mr. Hamilton of Dumfries-shire; 
but it merely possesses the same properties as the 
preceding, with some differences of arrangement. 
A fourth and quite different turnip and bone-dust 
‘| machine bears the date of 1835, and was invented 
by Mr. Liston of Blairgowrie. “ In this sowing- 
machine, a new system of depositing the seed 
; and manure was attempted. Instead of sowing 
continuously, this machine was intended to de- 
posit a portion of seed and manure together, at 
stated intervals, whereby a saving might accrue, 
both in the seed and manure, and the first thin- 
ning of the braird might be dispensed with. The 
construction of the machine differs both from 
previous turnip and bone-dust sowers, except in 
the depositors; these consist of a short double 
conical roller, which forms the groove or rut, in 
BONE-MANURE. 
a continuous form, for the reception of the seed 
and manure, and this followed by a short cylin- 
der, partly incased in a cover. The cylinder is 
chambered on the periphery; in these, certain 
quantities of the seed and manure are collected ; 
and as the cylinder revolves, and the machine 
progresses, these little collections are discharged 
at the proposed distances. 
it was found that the chambered cylinder did 
not deliver its contents at intervals, but nearly 
uniform, except when the machine travelled so 
slow as to be ineffective.” The fifth turnip and 
bone-dust sowing-machine bears date 1840, is the 
invention of Mr. Nicol of Guildy, and was in- 
tended as an improvement on Mr. Liston’s, escap- 
ing its faults, and achieving its proposed pur- 
poses. ‘“ Its construction is nearly the same as 
the last described, except the dropping apparatus. 
This consists of a raised fillet encircling the front 
rollers, and having also obtuse dibbles proceed- 
ing from it at nine-inch spaces, which, while the 
roller levels the top of the drill, forms also a 
smooth channel, with dibble-holes at nine inches 
apart, along its surface. Into this channel, the 
seed and bones are deposited continuously ; but 
an iron instrument or scraper follows close be- 
hind, having a protuberance that follows in the 
channel of the drill; this member sweeps the 
bones and seed before it till they fall into the 
first dibble-hole, and so on.” The last bone-sow- 
ing machine which we require to notice, is that | 
which deposits the bone-manure alone, or with- 
out the seed. “This machine is employed for 
depositing bone-dust or other granulated man- 
ures in drills, and is adapted to serve three drills 
at each turn. The bone-chest is mounted on 
two wheels, one of which gives motion to the 
three distributing wheels placed inside the chest; 
the revolutions of the latter give out the manure 
to the sheet-iron tunnels, which deliver it into 
the furrows previously prepared by the plough. 
The quantity to be discharged is regulated by 
sliders which lie over the orifices. In depositing 
manure by this machine, it is laid in the fur- 
rows between the first-formed drills, and is then 
covered up by passing the plough along the 
drill and cleaving it. After this operation, the 
seed is deposited by the common turnip sowing- 
machine. The bone-sower may be drawn by one 
horse.” All these machines, however, are so 
costly that any occupier of a small farm cannot 
prudently purchase them, and can seldom obtain 
an occasional use of them except at an unrea- 
sonable hire. 
The quantity of bone-manure suitable for an 
acre of tillage land varies according to the condi- 
tion of the manure, the character of the soil, and 
the nature of the crop; yet it usually has certain 
limits of utility, or limits beyond which all appli- 
cations of it are wholly wasteful. It has some- 
times heen applied to the extent of 100 bushels 
per acre, and often, for the sake of experiment, to 
the extent of forty or fifty bushels; but, in all 
In practice, however, » 
