The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1894-08-18
FARMER AND PLANTER
BONES FOR FERTILIZlNG.
Their Value in the Various Forms Food
for Plant Growth.

Their Value in the Various Forms as Food /
for Plant Growth.
Bone meal is frst-class manure for |
many purposes and for many crops. |
Bones are sold as artificial fertilizers in
many forms--viz., crushed bones, bone
dust and meal, bone combings from
manufactures where combs and other
bone articles are made), Is inch, a inch,
Il inch, l inch, 2 inch and 2l-inch
bones, and also in vitriolized condi-
ton, under the name of dissolved bones.
The last-named condition is brought
about by treating bones with su1phuric
acid Toll of vitrioD, by which action
they are rendered soluble and more as
similable or assailable by the soil, and
subsequently by the Young growing
plant
In their natural hard condition, bones,
as obtained from rag and bone collec-
tors, butchers, knackeries, etc, the
fertilizing ingredients tphosphoric acid
and nitrogen) are in an insofuble form,
and when applied to the land undergo
very gradual change only; but when
they have been subjected to the.action
of acid they become disintegrated or
partially dissolved, with the result that
they become more soluble and more
available to nitrification orJthe action
of soil bacteria, which convert the nj
trogen and heterogeneous compounds into
nitric acid, and plants can only asimi-
late by their roots nitrogen in the form
of nitric acid.
1t is necessary for agricultural pur-
poses that the natural grease present
in commercial bones be removed, and
for this purpose some manufacturers
adopt the principle of steaming the
bones prior to adding the acid, and
even in this steamed condition they
may be purchased in which state they
are less soluble, and consequently
slower in their action than the vitriol-
lied article, but usually the bones are
ground to meal before being dissolved
Two inch and two and half inch
bones are used for permanent pastures
applied when the land is laid out tc
grass, as their action is very gradual
and is spread over number OF years
One inch bones are employed as top
dressing for permanent pasture, usual
Nv lubO thC ldhV III aotNhii
One-eighth, one-fonrth and one-hal
inch bones are frequently applied t.
land known to be in state requiring
permanent improvement, to the whea
crop, in which case they show an i'm
provement throughout the entire rota
ton, whilst the loss incident to heavl
rains. drainage, etc, is reduced to
minimum, owing to their slow action
Bone dust, meal and combings ar
usually found effective at the time o
sowing barley, laid away with Glove
or a one or two years take, as in thi
fine state of division their influence
begins to assert itself in time for tn
barley plants to be benefited thereby
whilst the greater part of their mani
rial properties are brought to bea
upon the clover after the removal {
tho grain. Another use to which bone
in this state is as an autumn top-dres
ing in combination with kainit for p
tatoes or turnips the following yea
but usually this method is not regarde
as being so satisfactory as applying Il
kainit alone and supplanting the Dor
meal with dissolved bones at the tin
of sowing the turnips or potatoes.
AS general rule, it may be said thu
il the land is heavy the former metht
is more desirable than the use of. Il
bones in the dissolved condition at Il
time of planting the potatoes or so'
ing the turnip seed. Pure dissolve
bones and superphosphates of lime ha
long been rivals, as they are similar
composition and used for very simil
purposes. Each of these manures ha
their advocates, and it at on
becomes evident that a very lar
proportion of the beneficial effeG
of lime supers is due to the lii
in their composition. 1t is now &c
orally acknowledged that bones a
out and out superior in every way, G
cept on certain soils; as to the price,
will be found that pure vitrioiii
bones are, on many manufacture
price list, quoted at double the price
snperphosphates of lime; this is due
the better analysis the more direct t
influence, and more lasting the effe
Pure dissolved bones are used
root crops at the rate of to hundr
weight per acre; for seeds, 2 hundr
weight per acre, applied at the time
sowing the seed. Bone meal. on
other hand, is applied frequently al
mixture with other fertilizers, kair
basic, Stag, superphosphates, coprolit
ETC.. and applied in autumn as t
dressing for old land, seeds, hay, a
for land to be sown with spring cere;
Rural World.