The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-06-26
value Of Bones.


men did. They noticed the remarkable
growth of trees and vines on places
where dead animals had been buried or
bones had been put ito get them out of
the way The blowing over of enOr-
nous trees sometimes disclOses the de-
composed skeleton of an animal The
DISQUALIFICATION story of 'Who Ate
Roger Willams?n was a few days ago
published in nearly every paper in the
country. 1t was known that an apple
tree was planted on the grave of the
founder of Rhode Island, and that its
size, thrift and productiveness were the
admiration of all who visited the spot.
Several years ago it was proposed to re-
move the remains to another spot, with
a view of erecting a monument over
them. The grave was opened, but lit
tie could be found. The roots of the
apple tree had invaded it and appro-
priated the treasure. A living growth
was found. answering in form to the
skeleton of the dead man. The extra
ordinary fertility of many ancient bat
tle-felds has long been noticed. Many
farmers have observed that porous bones,
plowed up in fields, contained the roots
| of plants. For centuries before the COM
| position of mari was known, it was en-
ployed as a fertilizer in different parts
| of the world. The credit of demon
strating the great value of bones as fer
tilizers, and showing the part they play
in increasing the growth of vegetation,
are chiefly due to Prof Liebg and Sir
John B. Lawes. They showed that
| bones contained, in addition to lime and
| substances rich in nitrogen, large guam
| titles of phosphoric acid, which is of
great value to plants.
| The trade in fertilizers consisting
/ L., SC 4Trr
| very extensive. In nearly every large
! city the collection of bones receives al
| most as much attention as the collection
| of rags. Butchers save and sell all the
| bones taken from the meat they retail
| The bones are carefully saved at all the
slaughtering and rendering establish
ments. The bones of buifaloes and
other wild animals have been collected
ON all the prairies of the West. Even
the great plains of South America have
been searched for them. The English
| have not hesitated to use the bones of
the ancient Egyptians for the purpose
of making fertilizers. As bones decay
very slowly, and are difficult to pulver-
ice in their natural state, the usual
| practice is to break them into small
| fragments by means of heavy crushers,
and to then treat them with diluted sui
phuric acid. The sulphuric acid pro-
| duces a decomposition in the bones and
renders them soluble. The substance
known as phosphate or superphOsphate
of lime, being readily soluble, is avail
able for the Immediate wants of plants.
! The substance in its pure form is very
expensive, and it is not economical to
use it on the cheap lands in the West.
Its employment in the West is chiefly
confined to lawns and gardens in cities
and TO a few special crops, as grapes
and hops. In the Eastern and South
ern States it is used in connection with
stable manures for various crops. Its
cost has led to the employment of many
authorizations. Pulverized bones, or
bone meal, also has an extensive sale.
Not being as soluble as bones that have
been treated by an acid it does not pro-
duce as great immediate benefits. 1t is,
| however, an excellent fertilizer to en-
| ploy where lasting benefits are desired.
1t is less likely to be adulterated than
| the phOsphates of lime and the frauds
are more easily detected.
While Western FARMERS may not find
| it profitable to use the commercial fertil-
iZers prepared from bones, they may
derive great advantage from collecting
all the bones they can and treating
them in ways that are quite inexpens-
| i've. Bones, in their natural state, are
|
organized structure that renders them
able to resist hard blows. They con-
tain animal as well as mineral sub
stances They always contain cOnsid-
cradle glue and fat. These and other
animal substances are valuable to
| plants, and it would be desirable to re-
tluce in the form they are when taken
from animals if the difficulty was not as
, | great. If bones are burned in a COM
mon stove or furnace the animal mat
ter thew contain will be consumed and
they will become so brittle that they
may be readily pulverized. Bones that
have been burned contain all the phos-
phorus that entire bones do, and make
a very valuable fertilizer. When
pounded they are excellent for feeding
to fowls with q view of affOrding ma
terials for egg-shells, and are also very
valuable for al kinds of animals that
are giving milk, whether it is intended
, for home consumption, making butter
, and cheese, or raising young. The best
dairy farmers in this country and Eu-
, rope now give their cows bone-meal as
regularly as they do salt Bones may
be rendered so soft that they can be
readily crushed by placing them in
strong barrels with wood ashes
that are kept moist. They may also
be softened by placing them in heaps
of manure that is going through the
process of fermentation. After they
: | have few weeks in connection with
| moist ashes or fresh stable manure they
may be readily crushed with q sledge
} | hammer They make a most excellen'
| fertilizer for melons, squashes. grape
! vines, all kinds of small grain, corn
garden vegetables and flowers. A small
= | quantity placed in a flower-pOt will ado
D to the growth of the plants raised il
. them.
s The heads of slaughtered animals
: with the horns and flesh attached t.
) | them, may be placed to excellent ad
= vantage in the holes where grapevine
9 and apple and pear trees are to b.
0 planted Dead fowls and the bones o
g | poultry from the table may be disposed
t | of in the same way. In many parts O
r the West skeletons of animals are scat
| tered on the prairies, in woods, and il
0 ravines, and are the property of an
l.. | person who viii appropriate them
, | They are of far too much value to re
@ main where they are. Many countr,
5 butchers attach no value to the bone
5 they take from the animals they cut up
: The farmer or fruit-raiser who collect
T all the bones that may be had in hi
, vicinity and uses them as has been sUg
Y eested, will soon find that he has beel
well paid for his trouble. The time
= not distant when every house in tn
Y country win be visited by persons VIII
5 desire to purchase bones. If bones ar
D worth purchasing and sending to a cit
Q to be manufactured into fertilizers
! they are quite too valuable to go t
4 awste as they ordinarily do Chic0g