The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-07-23

Board of Agriculture.
The water is first placed in the
trough, and the acid added to it, then
the bone is gradually added causing
a great boiling, with evolution OF
heat and steam, as you will see. You
observed in the laboratory that there
were roof windows that could be
opened for letting out the steam
these are necessary. 1t takes about
an hour for the reaction to become
complete, and then it will soon dry
and be free from moisture. 1t needs
no grinding-it is ready for the field
as soon as cool. Specimens of each
lot as made here, are taken to the ana
lytical laboratory, and analysed to as
certain how perfect had been the reac-
ton. You have visited the laboratory,
up stairs at the end of the build
ing This is necessary for the chemist,
as it is there all his results are worked
out, but it is not needed by you. You
will need a cheap room with good
ventilation tor the manufacture, and
the simple implements you see here
are all that are necessary.
In order that you may understand
the nature OF the materials aud COM
pounds we prepare, l will now pro-
coed to state the chemical constitu-
ton of bones, and what changes
bone structures undergo when sub
iected to chemical treatment The
hony framework of men and animals
is essentially alike, and the molecules
of which they are composed come
from the food consumed. The bones
which hold up the muscles and integ-
uments Of our animals, comes from
hay, grain and green forage, etc. 1t
is necessary for COWS to procure a
much larger amount of bone material
than they need tor the repair Of osse-
GUS waste in their bodies, for the
composition of milk calls for large
amount of the phosphates. When
you learn that in about every thirty
! gallons of milk there is one pound of
tri-basic phosphate of lime, or bone
material, you will have some idea OF
the importance of this substance in
the food of cows. The bones of the
infant, fed on milk, come from this
principle, and hence we learn the me-
dunn through which human or ami
NAL structures are built up. Permit
me to remark in passing, that it must
be obvious to you that an animal in
milk, like COW, cannot yield excre-
ment of high value. Most of the rich
material obtained from the pasture,
or from any form of food, goes to the
milk, and hence, little is left of value
to return to the soil. We often hear
farmers say they keep cows and sell
milk so as to maintain the fertility of
the farm. This is absurd, on the prin-
ciple that you cannot eat your pud-
ding and have it too.
A COW in milk requires about eighty
pounds of bone material a year, and
consequently a herd of twenty-five
COWS will carry off from our pastures
and the barn, ton of bone materials
each year. 1t is apparent that this
process of exhaustion cannot continue
for very long period, without rem
dering our fields sterile. We must
return to them the bone material they
have lost-we must, in other words,
feed our hungry plants upon the sol
uble phosphate of lime, and thus give
to them renewed vigor; and they In
turn will yield the same back to our
animals, and from them our own
bodies will be nourished. Plants can
not assimilate bone in its ordinary
condition; it must be rendered solu-
BILE in water before it can enter plant
structure, and how this is accom-
plshed it is important to understand.
Phosphoric acid, the element in bone,
which plants require, and which,
therefore, becomes what we call a
fertilizer, is not the only kind needed
to render our fields productive. 1t is
one of the three great essentials OF
plant food, for there are but three
that we need trouble ourselves par
ticularly about. The others are nj
trogen and potash. 1t is proper to
remark here that. the great bulk OF
all vegetable structures comes from
the air, and is, therefore, furnished
abundantly and gratuitously What
concerns us directly is the matter OF
furnishing proper supplies OF phos-
phoric acid, nitrogen and potash, to
our fields and crops, and 1t is our