The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-07-23
pare and apply these substances.

al w ~ ~ lOI PAohU AN
shall use in the experiments this al
ternoon, what is known as bone char
coal, for the purpose Of developing
or setting free phosphoric acid, and
here it is in the vessel before you.
1t is, as you see, black, granular
substance, resembling coarse black
sand. This substance is simply
burned bones, bones charred or
changed into animal charcoal by heat.
The animal portion, or the gluten IS
carbonized, and the bone structure
destroyed. 1t is substance largely
employed by sugar refners to decol-
orize syrups, and after it has served
their purpose it is sold to makers OF
fertilizers to be changed into super
phosphate. What is the meaning OF
this word, so often brought to the
attention of farmers? Super means
above, over or higher. When pre-
fixed to the word phosphate, or phos-
plate of lime, it means that lime is
over charged with phosphoric acid.
In this vessel | have fine white
powder in mass, as you see; it is pure
bone powder. Now, this is composed
of lime and phosphoric acid; it is
phosphate, but not superphosphate
of lime, because it holds three parts
of lime and only one of acid. If it
was like the powder in this vessel l
have in my hand, it would hold only
one part, or equivalent of lime, with
the same of acid and then it would be
superphosphate.
Lime is a substance, the nature OF
which you very well understand, but
of phosphoric acid you know less. /
can show you here upon the table
this most interesting acid in two
forms; in the phial have what is
known as glacial phosphoric acid. 1t
resembles ice, and hence its name
very beautiful substance, hard,
transparent. and intensely sour. In
this phial, we have it in the form of a
clear, colorless liquor, about as dense
as syrup, This is prepared from the
jet black superphosphate you see
upon the table. Phosphoric acid is
an indispensable constituent of
plants not plant exists which has
it not. How it happened to become
necessary in plants, this wonderful
4 acid, we do not know. In bones il
exists locked up most firmly. Every
molecule, or little particle, is in the
embrace of three molecules of lime,
aud they hold it so tenaciously, that
we cannot make it available for plants
unless we proceed to violently tear
the molecules asunder and drive the
Line into new combinations. This
we accomplish by the aid of strong
sulphuric acid, oil of vitriol.
Now, let us understand this mat
ter, so that when Mr.. Davis mixes
that fiery fluid, that carboy OF vitriol,
with those two barrels of bone char
coal, I'VE shall know just what happens.
Vitriol, you say, will burn our cloth
ing, our flesh, and so it will, and yet
we are going to pour it on that bone,
and in one hour not one ounce of the
vitriol will exist as such. The black
liquid will seethe, and boil, and hot
steam will rise, and in one hour you
can put your hand into the mass, and
handle it as you can sugar. What
becomes of the vitriol | will tell
you. The bone is composed, as we
have said, of three equivalents of
lime, and one of phosrhoric acid.
Now, the vitriol has strong liking
for lime, or it seizes hold oft when
ever it can reach 1t, and becomes
locked up in its embrace, and sui
plate of lime is formed. This is the
gypsum, or plaster, with which you
are well acquainted The whole of
that ten gallons of acid is to become
locked up with the lime in those bar
rels Of bone, and 1T will disappear in
its new combination completely, and
now you ask what becomes of the
phosphoric acid2 Well, that is a
pertinent question. As soon as the
vitriol seizes the lime, the phosphoric
acid is set free as it were, but kind
of vacuum exists, the condition of
that acid is an unnatural one, and
hence it associates itself with an
amount OF water sufficient to re-
place the lost lime. The vitriol will
seize but two of the three atoms OF
lime, and so the phosphoric acid is
left in the form of what chemists des-
ignate mono calcic phosphate, that
is, it holds one equivalent of lime and
two OF water, and now it has become
soluble. We have prepared vat
full of superphosphate, and that is
composed of phosphoric acid soluble