The Columbus journal., 1892-08-17
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
MANUFACTURING FERTILIZERS
ON THE FARM.
Times When tho Effort 10 Worth AaklnY
-TurnIps and Grain for sheep
Farm Notes and House,
hold Helps.
Reducing Bones.

1he REDUCTION OF OOncS ana tno
Manufacture of fertilizers on the farm
Is work of considerable difficulty
and for that reason and for lack OF
the knowledge just Low TO do things
has seldom paid for the time and
labor consumed. And yet there are
circumstances and times when the
effort is worth making and the end
sought accomplished. Answering q
correspondent from Utah. Mr. T.
Greiner. one OF our well-known
authorities on agricultural chemistry
writes rs follows in tho Pract Cal
Farmer:
a. The only way in which bones
can be made quickly available for fer
tilizer By the ordinary farmer is the
acid treatment and this can hardly
recommend TO my friends do not
myself like to handle and keep on
hand q great deal Of sulphuric acid
(oil of vitriol). The greatest care is
nee1ed with it or you may spoil moro
clothes or burn more skin and flesh
than the fertilizer is worth after it is
all ready. Even then the bones should
be made as fine as can Onveniently
be done. before they are exposed to
the action of the acid. My favorite
way of treat!n. old bones is to burn
them. lE spring make great fire
of brush. rotten rails rknotty pieces
of wood and all sorts OF rubbish. and
when this is going pretty lively. and
a good body OF live coal has accu-
mulated underneath. pile on
the old bones somewhat gradual
ly. and some oyster shells II
l have them. This will reduce the
mass to a mixture of burnt bonemeal
lime and ashes and makes good min
eral fertilizer or course it deprives
the bones of what little nitrogen they
contain. but puts the phosphOric acid
in a shape in which plants can make
immediate use of it These arc quick
ways-all others of reducing bones to
plant food are slow.
You can break the bones up as fine as
possible. and put them in alternate lay
ers with fresh horse manure moisten.
ing the mass sufficiently to keep it in
a moderate state of hot fermentation.
Jhis in the course of months. will
soften the bones so they can be used
for manure.
Another way available for you
since you have easy ac ess TO wood
ashes provided they are unleached)
is to put them broken up fine in
alternate layers with the ashes and
packing all tightly as a leach. and put
on water enough TO moisteu-the mass
and keep it moist by additions of
water when needed. In six months
more or less the bones will be soft
enough to be used for manure.
This mixture of ashes and bones
will be first-rate for your grain crops.
Plaster paris will seldom be of much
use for the purpose. especially after it
has been used for some time Many
of the grain farms in the East have
been .piastercd to death" and do not
respond any more TO further apDlica-
tiOns of plaster.
Of course the solution of the ques-
ton of what fertilizers arc best for
your purposes depends very much on
the condition of your soil itself On
most grain farms it is mostly phos-
phoric acid that is needed. In that
case apply phosphates-bone. dis
solved bona acid phosphate. phos-
phatic guano South Carolina or Flor
ida rock. phosphate meal (ThOmas
slag). ETC.. and if aS likely on sandy
SOIL potash is needed also the ashes
will supply the deficiency. Should
nitrates be needed also as indicated
by short growth OF straw. try little
nitrate OF soda or other fertilizers
furnishing just that element No
body can give you definite inforna.
ton on these things. from distance.
Ask your own soil by making q few
trials of the substances named.