Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-01-14
agricultural.
From tho American Agricultural.
BONE MANURE.

aS'deflned by OcmOSlnenoS, were action
--action-action. With no greater linn
itaton to his definition than was design
ed. by this celebrated master, we may
say, that the first requisite for successful
farming is manure the second is manure;
the third is manure. With these exist
ing naturally in soils, or artifciaHy sup
piled, everything can be done without
them, nothing. The Importance of the
Subject is my apology for the frequent
and urgent calls upon the readers Of the
Agricutufist for providing this essential
groundwork of the farmer. shall con-
fine myself in the present article almost
exclusively to illustrating the effects Of
the application of bones to poor clay,
pasture lands, as they are detailed in
England, and especially in a recent ar
ticle on the subject, in the Journal of the
Royal Agricultural Society, by William
Palm,
He says, "Perhaps there is no coun-
ty in England where the pasture lands,
PARTICULARS the poorer soils, have been
so much improved during the last twelve
years, as in Cheshire (the best dairy
county of the kingdom) and this prin-
'cipnlly by the application of bone dust:
This extraordinary manure has pecu-
liar effect upon the poor clay land pas
lures; for on the application of boiled
bones, sudden change takes place in
the appearance of the fields, and instead
Of the carnation-leaved or pink grass,
which so much abounds in this kind of
land, luxuriant heritage presents itself,
consisting of red and white clover, tre-
foil, and other grasses, of which the cat
tie are so fond that they eat up almost
everything'before them; even rushes and
thistles are very much weakened, and e..
ventually reduced, by being constantly
eaten off by the stock, afterthe pastures
have been bone-dusted."
Again, through a correspondent, he
says, " In the winter of 1886, | laid up
on field Of l l acres one ton of boiled
bones, crushed small, to the statute acre
the field had not been plowed for a great
many years. and produced coarse, bad
grass, which could only get eaten down
during the. winter or spring. In. 1887
sowed ihvfeld, and had Very good
crop, with much red and white clover.
In 1888 / had most extraordinary
crop; and perhaps the most extraordn-
AIRY thing was, that it was an entire mass
Of wild red clover. never saw a field
of common clover fuller crop. l con-
tinued 10 NOW it for three years. longer,
and had fair crops, but not very heavy
ones. The field then was not under
drained"
Another correspondent says, 81 have
Known many instances where an outlay
Of G7 or G8 ($35 to $40) per acre for
bones had been made, the. annual value
3had been increased 300 per cent; and
although considerable proportion of
the clover and trefol may disappear af
ter 8 or 10 years, yet ain excellent herb
age of permanent grasses remains, very
superior to what the land originally pro-
duced; and, in my opinion, clay land
once well boned will never again pro-
duce a bad herbdge, if kept in pasture.
| have known many instances where
lands which had been boned upwards of
Is years still retained a considerable
proportion of treiol and clover. Before
bones were introduced into the county,
farmers made point Of selecting a hardy
and inferior description of stock for their
clay lands. observing that large we'll
bred COWS did not at all answer on them
but they now find that the best of stock
obtain ample support, not only to supply
the cheese tub, but also to do Justice to
their lineage, by retaining, if not impro-
wing, their size and symmetry. have
paid nearly 100000 (near $50,OOO)
for this manure, and the result has in
every instance been satisfactory. have
known many a poor, honest, but half
broken hearted man, raised from poverty
TO comparative independence ; and many
sinking family saved from inevitable
ruin, by the help Of this wonderful ma
nure. Unquestionably bones act jp a
very peculiar manner on our Cheshire
clay soils, when applied to grass lands,
which no doubt arises from the crcum-
stance'o of our soil containing either less
of that matter which counteracts their
. effects. or possessing in an extraordinary
degree those qualities which are iavora-
bic, if not essential, to their operation"
The rationale of all this is, that the soil
is deficient in the materials afforded by
bones, which are all of the first impor-
lance for making the greatest quantity
and best quality Of grass.
A Lancashire agriculturlst writes,
Cheshire, it is well known, is a great
cleese-making county, and within the
last 90 years vast extent CT its past
ures have undergone an almost inconceiv.
. able amelioration from the application
of bone manure. In the year 1888
inspected farm of tenacious soil, OF
which G25o9 upwards of $4,000 hat
been expended in bones for the pasture
land. AT that time, in August, though
q no stock had been on them during thu
summer, the heritage on several field,
was SO scanty, that 20 stones of hay
(29O lbs. could hardly be got from them
I.1ra. ,,eaJ xara hoiIad thot