The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-08-18
HOUSE AND farm.

REpuc1NG BONES TO POWDER. S.
w. johnson, of the Yale Analytical Labo-
ratory, has given the following method OF
reducing bones to powder, first communl-
Gated to the public by MIR. Pussy, an English
agricultural chemist
The process depends upon the fact that
bones consist, to the amount of one-third
their weight, of cartilage or animal matter,
which, under the influence of warmth and
moisture, readily decomposes Qerments or
decays) and and loses its texture, so that the
bones fall to dust.
From the closeness and solidity of the
bony structure decay is excited and main
tanned with some difficulty. A single bone
or a heap of bones never decays alone, but
dry and harden on exposure Ii, however,
bones in quantity be brought into close con-
tact with some easily fermentable, moist sub
stance, but little time elapses before 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
the bone and makes the heat compact, and
then are moisted with pure water, the same
result takes 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 single sledge hammer
and made into alternate layers of sand,
loan, saw-dust, leached ashes, or swamp
muck, using just enough of any one Of
these materials to fill compactly the cavities
among the bones, but hardly more. Begin
with 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 thoroughly, and finally cover a
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 entirely or nearly
disappeared.
If the fermentation should spend itself
without reducing the bones sufficiently, the
heap may be overhauled and built up again,
moistening with liquid manure and covering
as before.
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
surface so that the 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 more stale urine or dung liquor they
have been made to absorb, the more rapid
and complete will be the disiutegration.
In these heaps horse dung or other ma
nure may replace the ashes, ETC., but earth
or muck should be used to cover the heap.
This bone compost contains the phos-
pilates of lime in finely divided state, and
the nitrogen of the cartilage which has
mostly passed into ammonia or nitrates, is
retained perfectly by the absorbent earth or
muck.
When carefully prepared this manure is
adapted to be delivered from drill machine
with seeds, and, according to English
farmers, fully replaces in nearly every case
the superphosphate made by help Of oil of
vItrol.
EXPERIENCE WITH MAMMOTH OR SAPLING
CLoyER.-This clover is remarkable in the
first place for its growth in rich soils, often
attaining the mammoth height of six of sew
en- feet. have measured stalks in my field
seven feet long, but the average would pro-
badly be about three feet The stems are
larger than other varieties, and for this rea-
son would be objected to by those who raise
clover for hay. have, however, moved
quantity of it for hay, and my stock relish
it and eat 1t readily.
AS A FERTILIZER,
its special value is in the quantity of foliage
it affords, rendering it, for this purpose, su-
perior to all other grasses. 1t is rather later
starting in the spring than the common clo-
yer, and requires longer time to mature
consequently but one crop can be made IN a
,,I,n
AS A HAY CROP,
it should be cut about the time Timothy
ripens-therefore the two should be sown
together for hay. If for seed, and it yields
abundanlly, it should be pastured until the
first of June, to avoid the great bulk of foil
age which it would produce if permitted to
grow from early spring. After the hay or
SEED is removed Il new growth springs up,
which affords excellent late pasture.
ITS CHARACTERISTICS.
It is hardy, stands drought better than
the other varieties of clover and will flourish
vigorously on light, loomy soils; indeed it
has never failed to produce a more luxu-
rant crop on any soil on which I have yet
tried it.
ANOTHER ADVANTAGE
it possesses over the common red clover is
that it does not interfere with corn tillage
and wheat harvest. 1t will stand very well
until the grain is cut, and the seed will not
mature before the middle or latter part Of
August. Thus you see that the soil is tho
roughly protected by close and heavy mat
of rich vegetable matter, from the scorching
rays of the July and August suns. 1t APP
pears to be we'll adapted TO our soil and eli
mate Even on soils that will not pay for
cropping, have seen heavy swaths of hay
cut.
purchased farm in 1866, which had
been almost exhausted by constant cropping,
on which sowed the usual quantity of
seed per acre. The clover took readily. l
applied a half bushel of plaster to the acre.
and waited anxiously for the result, not
without apprehension that my labor and
my money had gone for naught. But with
the gentle showers and genial warmth of
Spring appeared the tender leaves of the
young clover. Rapidly it grew up like
some mammoth" weed, and soon the once
barren hills "blossomed like the rose" andI
was compensated hundred fold for all the
money and labor had expended.
Southern Farmer. BOLIVAR LEIGH
MANAGEMENT OF SANDY SoILs.-My new
ly bought farm is high and dry, quite level,
and sandy soil. This sandy soil is about
six inches deep OF a white sand, mixed,
more or less, with red sand. Under this
white sand is stiff red clay. now have
my first crop growing on it, and suppose it
will yield some five and half or six bush
els of shelled corn to the acre. Will the
above land bring red clover to profit? If
so, what quantity of seed must be sown to
the acre, and at what time should it be