CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MANURES
Year: 1842

page_text: OF ALTERATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BENNET LAWEB, of Rothamstead, in the County of Hertford, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patents under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-third day of May, in the fifth year of Her reign, did for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John Bennet
Lawes, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege, and authority, that I, the said John Bennet Lawes, my exors,
adiñors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said John Bennet Lawes, my
exors, adiňors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter, during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
that part of Her Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
called England, Her Dominion of Wales, the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MANURES;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso that I, the said John Bennet Lawes, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, under my hand and seal, to be
inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said John
Bennet Lawes, lo hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, aro fully set forth and ascer-
tained in and by the following Specification thereof (that is to sny):-
Whereas bones, bone ash, bone dust, and other phosphoritic substances
have been heretofore employed as manure, but always, to the best of my
knowledge, in a chemically undecomposed state, whereby their action on the
soils to which they have been applied has been tardy and imperfect. And
whereas it is in particular well known that in the case of a large proportion
of the soils of this country the application of bone dust is of no utility in pro-
ducing crops of turnips, on account of the slow decomposition of the bone dust
in the soil, and the consequent exposure of the young plant for a long period
to the ravages of the turnip fly.
Now, the first of my said improvements consists in decomposing in manner
following the said bones, bone ash, bone dust, and other phosphoritic substances
1 mix with the bones,
previous to using them for the purposes of manure.
bone ash, or bone dust, or with apatite or phosphorite or any other substance
containing phosphoric acid, a quantity of sulphuric acid just suflicient to set
free as much phosphoric acid as will hold in solution the undecomposed phos-
phate of lime, whereby the free phosphoric acid is enabled to unite itself at
once with the various alkaline earths contained in the soil, and the undecom-
posed phosphate of lime is left in a state of division far greater than can be
eflected by any mechanical means.
The second of my improvements has relation to manures applicable to soils
deficient in any particular alkali, as potass, or soda, or magnesia, or ammonia.
For such soils make use of a manure compounded of a mixture of phosphoric
acid with the particular alkali required, as potass, or soda, or magnesia, or
ammonia, or any earth containing such alkali.
The third and last of my said improvements relates to soils from which a
crop of wheat or any other plant of which silica forms an essential component
part is intended to be raised. For such soils I make use of a manure com-
posed of a combination of silica, either in the state of ground flint or sand, with
either of the alkalies, potass or soda, or composed of crystal or glass ground to
a stato of powder.
And having now described the nature of my said invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I declare that I have not stated any
particular propotions in which the different materials are to be employed as
aforesaid, and do not confine myself to any particular proportions, because such
proportions must vary in each case with the relative strength of the substances

page_text: combined together, that is to say, with the amount of acid or alkali contained
in each, and because in whatever proportions the substances before directed to
be combined may be combined for purposes of manure the respective com-
binations will be found more or less useful. And what I claim is :-
First, the combination, for purposes of manure, of bones or bone ash or bone
dust, or apatite or phosphorite, or any other substance containing phosphoric
acid, with sulphuric acid as aforesaid.
Second, the combination, for the purposes of manure, of phosphoric acid with
any of the alkalies, potass or soda or ammonia, or any of the alkaline carths,
lime, or magnesia, or alumina, as aforesaid;
And, third, the combination, for purposes of manure, of silica as aforesaid.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Bennet Lawes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-two.
JOHN BENNET (L.S.) LAWES.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourth day of November, in
the year of our Lord 1842, the aforesaid John Bennet Lawes, came beforo
Our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and everything therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-third day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-two.

page_text: In the Matter of Letters Patent granted to John Bennet Lawes, of
Rothamstead, in the County of Hertford, Gentleman, for "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MANURES," bearing date the Twenty-third day of
May, One thousand eight hundred and forty-two, to which a Specifi-
cation was duly enrolled.
DISCLAIMER AND MEMORANDUM OF ALTERATION proposed to be
entered by the said John Bennet Lawes with the Clerk of the Patents of
England, pursuant to an Act passed in the fifth and sixth years of the
reign of His late Majesty King William the Fourth, entitled "An Act to
amend the Law touching Letters Patents for Inventions."
WHEREAS since the date of the said Letters Patent and enrolment of the
Specification, I have discovered that that part of the Invention as described in
the said Specification was not new, as to the public knowledge, use, and exer-
cise thereof, and I am desirous of disclaiming the words "bonos" and "bone
dust" on the fifty-second and fifty-third lines of the said Specification, the
words "bones" and "or bone dust" on the fifty-sixth line, and the words
"bones or" and "or bone dust" on the ninty-sixth line thereof. And I am
desirous also of inserting after the words "phosphoric acid" on the ninety-
eighth line of the said Specification the words following, within a parenthesis,
videlicet: "(excepting always uncalcined bones and bone dust)."
In witness whereof I, the said John Bennet Lawes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
This is to certify, that John Bennet Lawes, of Rothampstead, in the County
of Hertford, Gentleman, has applied to mo for leave to enter with you the above-
written Disclaimer and Memorandum of Alterations of a certain invention for
which Letters Patent were duly granted to him under the Great Seal, date
the 28 May 1842, and to which a Specification was duly enrolled. And
'having considered the said application, and no objection having been made to
the same,
I have accordingly granted leave to the said John Bennet Lawes to

page_text: file his said Disclaimer and Memorandum of Alterations with you, pursuant to
the statute passed in the 5th and 6th years of the reign of His late Majesty,
entitled "An Act to amend the Laws touching Letters Patent for Inventions."
Temple, Feb. 7th, 1848.
Entered and filed by the Clerk of the Patents, this
23rd day of February 1848.
JOHN JERVIS.
(LS.)
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifth day of February, in the
year of our Lord 1848, the aforesaid John Bennet Lawes came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Disclaimer
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified in form
above written. And also the Disclaimer aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.

page_text: In the Matter of a Patent granted to John Bennet Lawes, of Rotham-
stead, in the County of Hertford, Gentleman, for " CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MANURES," bearing date at Westminster the Twenty-third
day of May, One thousand eight hundred and forty-two, and in the
Fifth Year of the Reign of Her present most Excellent Majesty.
To which Letters Patent a Specification was duly inrolled.
DISCLAIMER AND MEMORANDUM OF ALTERATION proposed to bo
entered by the said Patentec with the Clerk of the Patents of England,
according to the Statute in that caso made and provided.
WHEREAS I, the said John Bennet Lawes, did in my said Specification
describe and claim, amongst other matters, the manufacture of manure by the
use of bone ash decomposed by sulphuric acid; and I have, since the in-
rolling of my said Specification, been informed that there is a doubt whether
the saine may not have been in some degree used before the granting of my
said Letters Patent; for which reason I wish to disclaim, and I do hereby dis-
claim, all parts of the said Specification which describe and claim the making
of manure from bone ash by decomposing the same by sulphuric acid, as in
my said Specification mentioned.
And 1, the said John Bennet Lawes, have found, since the inrolment of my
said Specification, that the second part of my Invention has not come into such
general practical use as to make it desirable to retain it as part of my Patent;
for which reason I wish to disclaim, and I do hereby disclaim, all parts of the
said Specification which describe and claim such second part of my said
Invention.
And I, the said John Bennet Lawes, since the inrolment of my said Speci-
cation, have not found that the third part of my invention has come into such
general practical use as to induce me to wish to retain it as part of my Patent;
for which reason I wish to disclaim, and I do hereby disclaim, all parts of the
said Specification which describe and claim such third part of my said Invention.
And whereas it has been considered that my Specification may be made
more clear and more readily understood by other persons than those who are
well acquainted with chemistry; in order to effectuate that object I am desi-
rous of entering a Memorandum of Alteration in the said Specification, by
introducing immediately before the words following, that is to say, "whereby
"the free phosphoric acid is enabled to unite itself at once with the various
"alkaline earths contained in the soil, and the undecomposed phosphate of

page_text: "lime is left in a state of division far greater than can be effected by any
"mechanical means," the following words, viz.: For example, the mineral
having been ground, and the quantity of phosphate of lime therein ascertained,
if about 78 lbs. of common brown sulphuric acid of commerce (containing
about sixty-five per cent. of dry sulphuric acid) be added to each 100 lbs. of
phosphate of lime, the result above mentioned will be obtained; and if a less
proportion of acid be used it will, as far as it goes, operate on a proportional
quantity of the phosphate of lime in like manner to that above mentioned. If
the mineral also contain carbonate of lime or other matter which will neutralize
the acid, then, as will readily be understood by chemists, an additional quantity
of acid equal to that which will be neutralized by such matters will require to
be employed to produce a like result. In all such cases the soluble acidulous
compound above described is formed.
In witness thercof, I, the said John Bennet Lawes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
JOHN BENNET LAWES. (L.S.)
To the Clerk of the Patents of England.
This is to certify, that John Bennet Lawes, of Rothamstead, in the County
of Hertford, Gentleman, has applied to me for leave to enter with you the
above-written Disclaimer and Memorandum of Alterations to the Specification
of a certain Invention for which Letters Patent were duly granted to him
under the Great Seal, dated the 23rd day of May 1842, and to which the said
Specification was duly enrolled: And on considering of the said application,
I directed him to advertise his said Disclainier and Memorandum of Altera-
tions in the London Gazette, and the Times and Morning Herald newspapers,
and such advertisements were duly made: And having been attended by
counsel for and in opposition to such Disclaimer and Memorandum of Altera-
tions, I have granted leave to the same John Bennet Lawes to file his said
Disclaimer and Memorandum of Alterations, pursuant to the Statute passed
in the 6th year of the Reign of His late Majesty, entitled "An Act to amend
the Law touching Letters Patent for Inventions."

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighteenth day of November,
in the year of our Lord 1851, the aforesaid John Bennet Lawes came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Disclaimer
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Disclaimer aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Nineteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.