The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1869-11-26
Farut att& Gar6ett.
A GOOD FERTILIZER.

The Journal Of Chemistry gives the fol-
lowing method OF making good fer
tilizer!
Take one barrel of pure Underground
bone, and mix with barrel ofgood
wood ashes; during the mixing add
gradually about three pailfulS of water.
The heap may be made upon the floor
of an out-building, or upon the barn.
floor; and, by the use OF a hoe, the bone
ard ashes must be thoroughly blended
together. The water added is just suf-
ficient to li5erate the caustic alkalies,
potash and soda; and there react upon
the gelatine Of the bone, dlssolving tie
little atoms, forming kind OF soap, and
fit.ing it for plant aliment. 1t must be-
used in small quantities, or in about tht
same way as the so-called superphos-
pilates. A barrel of this mixture is
worth two ofany of the commercial fer
tilizers, and the cost will be but about
half as much. 1t remains to be added,
if the bone-meal and ashes are very
dry, four paituls of water may be re-
CURED; but care must be exercised not
10 have it inconveniently moist. it
will be ready for use in a week after it
is made. Pure ra1, finely ground bone,
and the best of ashes should be employ
ed. II ashes cannot be procured, pota-
toes may be employed as substitute.
by dissolvlng twelve pounds in ten gall
Ions of hot water, and thoroughly satu-
rating the bone-lUur with the solution.
A barrel OF dry peat orgood loan, Tree
from stones, may be mixed with the
bone after adding the potash. Care
must be used not to hay it too dry. lt
should not form sticky mass. In us
ing. a little earth should be scattered
over it before dropping the seed. The
seed should not fall directly upon it,
The effects OF this fertilizer will not be
noticed early in the season; but, as IL
advances, the crops will become vlgor-
Gus, and yield "a fine return.
We advise our readers who have farms
and garoens to cultivate, to prepare as
large quantity of this fertilizer as they
possibly can. 1t embraces in its conf
position quite every element required
in the growth and maturation of roots
and the cereal grains; and it has theiad-
vantages of being comparatively cheap
and easily prepared. No fertilizer We
have yet devised (and we have prepare
ed and eXperimented with large num-
ber) affords more certain and satisfac-
tory results than this one; and those
who prepared and used it last season
are extravagant OF their praises OF it,
1t supplies most desirable dressing for
truit Trees and vines We use no other
fertilizer for our grapes; and, If any OF
our friends have had better results IN
their cultivation than we have. 1t Will
afford lis pleasure to publish their sue
cesses. journal Of Chem.
This mixture is, undoubtedly, an ex-
| cellent fertilizer; but the difficulty in
the case, is IN obtaining the ground
/ .i..1,s hnna
| is not easily found, and when found, a
profit of 100 to 200 per cent, is asked by
| the grinder. Precisely The same fer.ii-
lzer may be made of '.nground bone,
! by any farmer. as follows:
Take an empty molasses hogshea!,
| and fill it with bones and unleached
ashes; first a layer OF ashes and then
| later of bones; then fill ir with ashes
| till ak the holes Among the bones are
| filled; then put in more bones and ash
| cs till the cask is full, then add sufii-
| cient water to saturate the ashes; ana
| two or three times week add sufficient
water to keep the ashes in moist state
| at the top OF the cask, and i'll two or
| three months the bones will become as
soft as jelly, when the cask may be
! emptieG, any the bones mixed with the
ashes thoroughly.
| This fertilizer will be too powerful to
use as it comes from the cask. 1t should
be composted with three or four times
its bulk of any rich, light soil, ard kept
under cover till used, but not allowed
to 20 dry. A heap made upon the
ground, in convenient place, will suf-
flee, il well covered with coarse barn.
yard hitter, six or eight inches thick, TO
keep the compost moist; and TO prevent
the escape of its tertilizing properties.
--Rural american.