Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1867-08-31
AGRICULTURAL.
DIN the Use of IBoDes.

Ihe use OF bones as q manure for our cul-
tivated plants, is not as strongly advocated
in the columns of your highly useful paper
as their merits demand Bones are highly
concentrated manure, and in their natural
state nsoluble. The elements of bones are
obtained from animals, being part of the
structure of organized beings which they
obtained through or by the food they con.
sumo. This food must contain those ele.
ments; if it does not, il will not be -elished
by the animal. This food, therefore, must
obtain 1t from the earth; it it is not in
the earth, the plant will not thrive and
grow-will not come to perfection and as
phosphate Of lime and phosphoric acid, of
which bones are largely composed, are in
the soil in comparatively small quantities,
they are soon exhausted, and the land fails
to produce remunerative crops Now, bones
applied to those lands in some form, either
ground, decomposed with olkalies, or made
into super. phosphate by the use of sulphuric
acid, will bring them to produce such crops
as will pay the farmer for supplying his
crops with this manure. / have been in the
practice of using bones for several years in
some form, either put on in their raw state,
( finely ground, or manufactured into SUPER
| phosphate, or a fertilizer of which super
phosphate is the largest ingredient
| Before the war l made my fertilizer of
finely ground bones. sulphuric acid and gu
ano, in the following manner Take one
hundred pounds of bones, dampen them
with water, and pour on them 80 pounds of
acid-a small portion at a time; too much
at time is apt to burn them--stirring them
we'll together-leave them to stand a week
or ten days. Then mixed 75 pounds of
Peruvian guano with the mass, completely
Incorporating it together, when it is fit for
use. This fertilizer would make Its mark
on any crop put it on, and have put it
on all crops. After the war came on, guano
being 80 expensive, I mixed with the dis
solved bones as many dry ground bones,
and found this mixture to act admirably.
There is no danger from the handling of the
vitriol, if there is only reasonable care used.
consider this fertilizer, or phosphate, if
you choose to call it so, cheaper, and more
to be relied on, than any of those that are
sold in the market under tie name of super
phosphates. There is no advantage in mix
ing plaster. / have mixed ashes with the
: dissolved bones, and raised most excellent
wheat, followed by a very luxuriant growth
of timothy; but l never let lime come in
: contact with it.
. There is vast amount of bones in some
form used in this section of the country
They are brought here all the way from
Chicago. One of my neighbors told me he
put on his farm Gt was very poor when he
bought it) 500 pounds OF ground bones to
} the acre for each of his crops-corn, oats
and wheat the consequence was, very
marked improvement in his farm-his land
was poor and he was poor, but now he has
good farm, and got comparatively well
OIL. Several years ago an acquaintance
) bought poor piece of land for $40 pei
, acre, and went to putting on ground bones
which improved the ground So that the first
; three crops paid for the land and bones
too. The land became very productive, and
, is now what might be called first rate
farm--so that where grain or forage crops
fail, no man need be afraid to apply bones
} even if he has to borrow the money to pay
for them.-G. s., Cecil Co., Nd, in Countrs
Gentleman.