The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1854-05-09
8. - = lEh Was only in dry times,
:.re!sl /, ss Z .,he e BOZ water prevented it. As
ne founlt .6s,f hon shaad. Mns. full s.annihar |

from the ne b9Rs tfe water prevented it. AS
4 heieusl III first hogshead was full, another
soe9seed BY it and filled, and then spother.'
Ms Intention waste use the ashes and bones
on Indian corn, supposing that by the next
spring the, bones would be pounded to pieces
with a. slesges hammer on a fiat stone The
hammer and the stone were actually procured
for the purpose. But no bones were found,
except near the top Of the hogshead last filled.
Instead of the bones were found soft, sponta.
neous masses, retaining the form and size of
the original bones, but none Of their hardness.
They were easily cut through. with q, shovel
and mixed with the ashes; and when. SO; mixed
and applied, to corn Mt the rate of half pint
10 the hill, they proved an excellent manure for
corn. The experiment has been repeated eve.
~ gear since with good effect not only pro-
dIcing greet crops of corn, but manifestly
leaving the ground in. good order. or.asueceed-:
ing crop, with but very little yard manure, not
more than a quarter Of what. would be regard.
ed !. as fair dlessing, say from three to four
loads to the acre The land is a light loam,
and has been under the ploW incessantlyS for
more than. twenty years, bearisg for the islast
eight years hoed crops every year, generally
corn and potatoes alternately, but some of f2the.
time corn two years in succession. As yet
this land shows nc. diminution of crops, but
rather an Increase r In 1851 o comparison was,
sinstituted, between bone earth procured in mark
fet2at Q ] 2 cents per pound, the best Peruvian
guano, and this mixture of boiles and ashes.
The quantity Of the bone earth and Of the GU
ano applied to the, hill was just half that of
bones procured in market, and was barely per-.
ceptible as compared with rows that were un-'
|5manured the effect of the guano and of the
home made bone earth fthes bones reduced by.
ashes was very striking; that Of the guano
being more re3manifest in June and July, but that
of the bonesywith ashes giving decidedly the
best crop in October. ~: ~. =. = >l;s .ss.
& The friend who has communicated the fore
going facts gives the following as Whist he be-
lieves the true theory Of the action of fioisr
tened ashes on,bones, and If the influence of
the mixture thus formed on crops:r
Bones are about one. third organic, and about
tWo-th:rds inorganic matter, the former con
sisting ofsoiI and glue; the latter mostly Of
phosphate of lime, with a very little carbonate
sofglime. Itis well known; fact that if: you
put bone into q strong ley and let it: remain
a few weeks, the potash Of the ley will corn-
bine with the organic part of the bone, form
ing.&ith it soap; the earthly part, principally
phosphate of lime will retain essentially the
form and appearance of the original bone;
but it, examined closely, will be foqud: to have
lostits texture, and if nil ssny, dry sub
stance, as clay, loan, or Feat, may be easily
scrumbled with it into powdery mass. This
is very similar to the process oi reducing bones
by ashes. Were The bones to be put into dry
ashes, they would heat, as in Mr.. Pusey's. ex
'peripents, would crumble to pieces and the
organic part would escape in the form of am.
monia aud other organic gases. But if water
be added, enough to keep the ashes moist, and
to exclude in q great measure the entrance of
air, then the organic part of the bones will
combine with potash and water, forming soap,
and will leave the inorganic part (the phos.
phate and carbonate of lime) in state to be
easily mixed. with amy dry substance in the
form of an impalpably fine powder; and al
though the phosphate may not have become
as soluble as when changed to a super. r.phos.
phate by sulphuric acid, yet owing to the mi.
ruteness Of its divisions, it seems to be sufh.
GENTLY soluble. The manure thus formed,
conlaing all the ingredients of wood ashes and
Of bones,5 is found to influence the growth of
the crop sufficiently early in the season, though
got quite las promptly as guano, and to hold
out and mature the seed perfectly. When
composed sof five or six parts by weight of
hard wood ashes 10 one Of bones, and kept in
a cool place and sufficiently moist to, prevent
the escape of ammonia, it cannot be worth
muchif any less than half the price of Peru:
Wan guano as manure for Indian corn. .
Country Gentleman.