Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1878-11-04
agricultural department.
HOMEMADE PHOSPHATE.


A prudent farmer will not allow any
valuable fertilizing material to 60 to
waste on his premises, unless he is ig-
norant of the method of utilizing this
material. Bones are among the most
valuable of the substances now used in
the preparation of commercial fertilizers.
Yet around almost every house piles of
bones may be found in fence corners or
in out-of-the way places, thrown out to
lie year after year as if utterly USE
less. To convert these bones into phos-
phate by dissolving them with sulphuric
acid, involves some expense, for the acid
and good deal of care in the use of it.
Nor is it practicable to grind bones for
general use on our farms. We notice
in the american Agriculturist method
of utilizing this material which every
farmer can easily adopt. If a fertilizer
nearly or quite as valuable as the CON-
m ercial article can be made at home
without acid, it is certainly desirable.
This may be done by putting bones,
coarse or fine, even whole ones, into
compost heap of stable manure or muck
the decomposing action of the organic
matter will work upon the bones, and
in three or six months time thoroughly
reduce them to fine mechanical condi-
ton. The acids set free in the decom-
position also act in manner similar to
the sulphurlc acid of the manufacturer
uniting with portion of the lime,
and thus bringing the phosphoric acid
into more available form, as we'll as
converting the organic portion of the
bone, or rather it nitrogen, into the
proper condition for plant food. The
operation is to take all the bones OBJ
tainable, or it is thought best to use,-
either whole or ground-and place
them in layers, with three or four times
as much stable manure-frst layer Of
manure, then one of bone, and so on.
The whole is thoroughly mixed by SHOW
cling. covered with a few inches of fine
loan, to absorb any ammonia that may
possibly be set free, and moistened occa-
sionally with water, or best, with liquid
manure In from six weeks to six
months an excellent fertilizer will re-
suit, similar in all essential particulars
to commercial superphosphate, with the
addition of the dung, and may be used
with like effect, and on the same crops,
reckoning, of course, on the quantity Of
= bone put into the combination and not
on the amount of the compost itself
The time required by the operation de
. . ponds on the fneness of the materia
used. ranging from ground bone to ;
whole skeleton of an OK or a horse
and on the care taken in its manage
ID ment. The heap should be forked owe
IS often enough to prevent undue heating
or fire fanging." while the moistenins
er keeps up a rapid decomposition. Ii
~ this homemade product we can be sur
Ur of pure article at small expence
II In every village there are heaps of bone
thrown out into back-yards. and if pain
\ were taken to collect them they coul
be utilized in this way and made valua
BILE. A continuance for pounding tn
7 bones may be made by sinking a fla
! stone few feet under ground and plat
ing upon it half barrel with the Dol
tom knocked out, and filling in th
earth solidly around the barrel. III
= FOUNDER may be any convenient heav
] piece of iron attached to a stout roc
the upper end of which is to be attacl
ed by strap to a spring pole. which
secured to two posts at the propt
height.