The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1892-08-27
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
MANUFACTURING FERTILIZERS
ON THE FARM.
Times when the Effort Is Worth Making
-Turnips and Grain for sheep
Farm Notes and House.
hold Helps.
Reducing Bones.

The reduction OF bones and tho
manufacture OF Fertilizers on the farm
Is a work OF considerable difficulty
and for that reason and for lack OF
the knowledge just how 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 a
correspondent from Utah. Mr. T.
Greiner. one OF our well-known
authorities on agricultural chemistry
writes rs follows in the Practical
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 great deal OF sulphuric acid
(oil OF vitrioD. The greatest care Is
needed with 1t or you may spoil moro
clothes. or burn more skin and flesh
than the fertilizer is worth after 1t is
all ready. Even then the bones should
be made as fine as can conveniently
be done before they are exposed to
the action OF the acid. My favorite
way OF treating old bones Is to burn
them. IE spring make great fire
of brush rotten rails knotty pieces
OF wood. and all sorts OF rubbish. and
when this is going pretty lively, and
good body OF live coal has accu-
mulated underneath / pile on
the old bones somewhat gradual
ly. and some oyster shells IL
have them. This will reduce the
mass to a mixture OF burnt bonemeaL
lime and ashes and makes a good min
eral fertilizer. OF course it deprlves
the bones of what little nitrogen they
contain. but puts the phosphoric acid
in shape in which plants can m AXE
immediate use of it. These are 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
Ibis 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 access 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 leach. and put
| on water enough to moisten 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 1t
has been used for some time. Many
OF the grain farms in the East have
been .plastered to death aud do not
respond any more to further applica-
tions OF plaster
or course the solution Of the ques-
ton OF what fertilizers arc beat 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 bone acid phosphate. phos-
phatic guano. South Carolina or Flor
ida rock. phosphate meal (Thomas
slag). etc. and IT, 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 informa-
ton on these things from distance.
Ask your own soil by making few
trials OF the substances named