Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1851-10-01
A AGRICU ULT u r A l..
From the Weekly Farmer.

INTERESTING TO FARMERS.
We find in The Journal Of the New York
Stale Agricultural Society. for June, a very IN
teresling letter from Mr.. P. B. Johnson. the
Secretary of the Society, now in London,
attending the Worlds Fair, in which he
gives a sketch Of Lecture delivered before
the Royal Agricultural Society in England,
by Professor Way, the Duke of Richmond,
President Of the Society, in the clair, which
we copy and off-r to our agricultural read
ers as worthy OF their special attention.
Previous to the lecture, Prof. Way gave
the analysis of a sampe of guano, which
had been received from Australia, having less
than one per cent of ammonia, and from 80
to 40 per cent Of phosphate of lime while
the Peruvian and other good varieties had
from Is 10 25 per cent of ammonia, thus
rendering them so valuable as manure for
general purposes.-Ger. Telegraph.
The subject Of the lecture was "Super-
phosphate Of lime, its preparation and uses"
The term, he said, was applied to manure
which had been in use eight or ten years.
Neutral phosphate exists in bones-three
parts OF lime, and one Of phosphoric acid,
lnsoluble in waller. The biphosphae Of
lime consists of two parts Of lime and one
Of phosphorc acid-and by the addition Of
sui ulphurc acid, it is made soluble-ihe sui
Phuric acid being much more powerful
than the phosphoric. The use Of bones
commenced III Cheshire, nearly so years
since made necessary from the exhaustion
produced by the feeding of dairy cows for
great number of years, which had exhausted
the phosphates in the soil. Bones consist
Of animal matter, one fourth; phosphate Of
lime, one-haIf; and water one-four,h. Car
bonic acid exists in the atmosphere, and dis
solves bones, though slowly; water will no,
dissolve them.
In 1912, Liebig, in his "Agriculursl
Chemistry" first suggested the use of an
acid to render bones more soluble, so as TO
be readily and proflabIy used as manure
II has been said by some that this is The on
ly great contribution that science has made
TO agriculture. Prof. w. remarke ed, that,
while this is not admitted, as he believed,
thai in other directions as much had been
done for Agriculture as by this discovery,
or recommendation of Liebig still, il was
true, that this was a most imporlant conri-
button to practical agriculture, and The agri-
cul!urIsts bad reason TO congratulate them
selves that science had in this direction done
so much for them. Llebig recommended
that mixture Of sui pburic acid with water.
equal 10 one-hsf of the weight of bones,
would be proper preparation for The dis
solution OF The bones. The manner Of ac-
lion, Is by the distribution Of the phosphate
of lime in a very commnu,ed form, by
which, when mixed with earth, il is made
available for use of plants; especially the le-
guminous plants. Prof. w. remarked, that
The substances from which it is obtained
are
]. From bones, which contain about fifty
per cent OF phosphate Of lime.
2. Animal charcoal bones, burnt for the
sugar refners, contain more phosphate than
the bones, being SO or SIS per cent.
5. Burnt bones are often found in market
and have a large per cen,age of phosphales
a. African guano. (Saldsnha) has fifly-six
per cent Of phosphate of lime.
3. Mineral rocks in Spain but as it is in
The interior of the country, where there are
no railroads, nor likely to be any, i, cannot
be brought TO this country a! price which
would secure its use.
6. The phosphate is found in the Suffolk
Crag. as it is called, (sampes Of which were
exhibiled) containing about Sc per cent of
phosphate.
Z. Similar deposits exist in Surrey, in the
green sand formation, both in the upper and
lower formations, but most extensively in
the lower.
8. Phosphate Of lime from New jersey.
in The United States, had been received and
analysed al Oxford, and was found very rich,
and could be delivered at Liverpool for E5
per ton. (The price in London Of the va
rlelies offered, which are mainly much in
ferlor 10 the American samples, is e. per
tony
MIR. Pencer, who was present at the lee
ture, informed me that he had samples Of
the phosphate of lime from Albany, from
the Crown Point mine, which had upward
OF ~ per cent Of phosphate, and that he
was daily expecting len barrels of i. for sale
Prof. Way exhibited the anal ysis of seven
specimens of phosphate Of lime, as sold in
market; prepared for use as manure. The
per cenlsge Of soluble phosphate of lime,
varied from 4 per cen. to 27; and vet the
price was IL per ton each. Prof. w. re-
marked, tha, he could not recommend any
tha, had less than 16 per cent of
phosphate Of lime.
In preparing bones, the Professor remark
cd, that they should be ground very fine, to
be most useful and soonest available. lie
remarked that chalk and other mixtures
were sometimes added, which were injuri-
Gus, throwing down the phosphate
It's Udlue as manure was peculiar TO
green crops, such as 'urnips, mang gold wur,z-
a. carrots. Sc II had no, hoo, C,,,I -.