Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-11-19
AGRICULTURAL,


qY.. Dop, waste of the country is being
. widely converted into fertilizers every
and methods for dissOlving bones are
, sought after than ever before. me
World suggests tins plan fut layer
rI,,n,J ashes into the bottom of an
H.or barrel place % layer of bones ON
.... 0 fine ashes and add another layer OF
Ua fIhnr the space between the bones
.,I ilpm. then add bones and ashes alter
,,f.I. Huishin. of with thick layer oil
,IU. Having filled the barrel, pour on
bIriI manure or urine Just suihcieht 10 keep
t,.. ashes wet. but not enough to leach them
If, tlr slightest degree. la time the bones
L...t and finally soften down so that they
.,n ba crumblod with the fingers. When
.,Gi.icutlv softpned dump them out Of the
barrr on a heap of dry loan and pulverizc
and rrumhlp them until they are completely
missed into one homogeneous mass with the
I.aiu. ,o that it can be- easily handled and
distributed when required
THE Pittsburgh Stockman and Farmer
credit, the y. y. World for giving the agri-
cultural public this method Of reducing
i.lua. During the last eight or ten years
the same thing has probably appeared in all
fine papers that have an agricultural depart
mont AT least once. and in many of them
more than half dozen times. 1t has been
often recommended by agricultural boards
and published m their annual reports. 1t
would be- interesting to know how many Of
these writer, ever tried to dissolve bones in
wet ashes As this department of the Pho
mis- 5. the only place where any skepticism
nb1ut the efficiency of the process has been
-rcu. we are forced to believe that none of
them ever tried it. We have kept bones i'll
wet unleachcd ashes for about year at
tine end of that time thin layer on the sur
flp,-abuut a thirtv-second of an inch-was
-nftcucd SD that 1t could bc scraped of the
resi- of the bone was with great difficulty
broken on ii solid rock, with heavy sledge
hammer. The agricultural editor Of the n.
y World must have powerful hand if he
can ci.umblc such bones with his fingers.
We should expect good results from fer
tiIuor composed of finely ground or pulver-
lied bone mixed with ashes and treated a,
recommended above or the bones could be
burned So that the treatment with ashe,
would probably make them sufficiently pull
weren't but if burnt, the nitrogen would
bee lost. reducing the value of the bone
about twenty five per cent. which, in most
localities, is less than the cost of grinding
All the phosphoric acid and all the Other
mineral elements of the bone remain after
burning nothing of value as n fertilizer il
lost except the nitrogen
fertilizer composed of equal parts b,
weight of hardwood ashes and burned bon,
would contain
Phosphoric acid. 15per cent
Potash.
Nitrogen
The per cent of phosphoric acid and pot
ash would of course vary greatly according
To the kind of bone and the quality Of tn
ashes, the ashes from some kinds of WOO
welding Is per cent of potash. and othe
kinds less than four per cent
fertilizer. composed of equal parts Il
ashe, and unburned bone would contain
Phosphoric acid. II per cent.
Potash. "
Nitrogen, "
Here are all the parts Of a complete fei
tilizer with a higher per cent of potash an
pho.phoric acid than is found in most of tn
fertilizers of commerce The phosphori
acid is however. mostly nsoluble, an
slower in it, effect than the soluble acid
the commercial fertilizers