Litchfield enquirer., 1865-05-25
DECOMPOSITION OF BONES,

The practical character of Professor John sons report upon this subject, warrants us ir printing it for the benefit of those who may not have the transactions of the Society: REPORT OF PROF. g. W. JoHNoN, CHEMIST TO THE
 CONNECTICUT STATE AGRICULTURAL socIET oS
 PREVENTING BONES.
 Having lately been asked by several agri. culturist if there is any method known of bringing whole bones into pull verized condi- tion, otherwise than by grinding or treatment with oil of vitriol, take the opportunity to communicate to the members of the State So- ciety the process of reducing them into con venient form by fermentation.
 This process has been practiced in England for ten years or more, having been brought before the public there by Mr. Pusey, for many years the editor of the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, of England; but it appears not to have become very widely known in this country. "
 The process depends upon the fact that bones consist, to the amountAf one-third their weight. of cartilage, or animal matter, which under the influence of warmth and moisture, readily decomposes, (ferments or decays.) an loses it's texture, so that the bones fall to dust.
 From the closeness and solidity of the bony
 
 with some. difficulty. A single bone, or a heap of bones never decays alone, but dries and hardens on exposure. If, however, bones in quantity be brought in close contact with some easy fermeDtable moist substance but little time elapses before a rapid decay sets in
 So too if fresh crushed bones are mixed with sand soil, or any powdery matter that fills up the spaces between the fragments of bone, and %akss gnsG the hsap compact. aud then are moist place in warm weather, though more slowly.
 The practical process may be as follows :- The bones If whole, should be broken up as far as convenient by a sledge-hammer, and made into alternate layers with sand, loam. saw-dust. leached ashes, coal ashes, or swamp muck, using just enough of any one of these materials to fill completely the cavities among the bones. but hardly more. Begin with a thick layer of earth or muck, and as the pile is raised, pour on stale urine or dung-heap liquor enough to moisten the whole mass thor oughly, and finally, cover foot thick with soil or muck.
 In warm weather the decomposition goes on at once, and in from two to six or more weeks the bones will have nearly or entirely disap- peared. a i+ -
 If the fermentation should spend itself with out reducing the bones sufficiently, the heap may be overhauled and built up again, moist ening with liquid manure, and covering as be- fore, .l sa,
 By thrusting pole or bar into the heap, the progress of decomposition may be traced, from the heat and odor evolved.
 Should the heap become heated to the sur face, so that ammonia escapes. as may be judged by the smell, it may be covered still more thickly with earth or muck.
 The larger the heap. the finer the bones. and the in ore stale urine or dung liquor they have been made to absorb. the more rapid and complete will be the disintergration.
 In these heaps, horse dung or other rapidly fermenting manure may replace the ashes, etc., but earth or muck should be usee to cover the heap.
 This bone compost contains the phosphate of lime in finely divided state, and the nitro gen of the cartilage, which has mostly passed into ammonia or nitrates, is retained perfectly by the absorbent earth or muck.
 When carefully prepared, this measure is adapted to be delivered from g drill machine with seeds, and according to English farmers, fully replaces in nearly every case, the super phosphate made by the help of oil of vitriol.
 Yale Analytical Laboratory, Nov. g, 1859.