Im- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MANURES FROM ANINAL, MINERAL, AND VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Smith, of No: 37, Caledonian Road, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MANURES FROM ANINAL,
MINERAL, AND VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES.”
•
Scaled the 5th March 1872, and dated the 19th October 1871.
B
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the.
19th October 1871.
I, RICHARD SMITH, of No. 37, Caledonian Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MANURES FROM
ANIMAL, MINERAL, AND VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
I
"
C My Invention relates to the manufacture of artificial manures and is
as follows: I take various kinds of animal, mineral, and vegetable sub-
tances, such as blood and animal offal, fish' and fish offal, bones, leather,"
hair, shoddy, vegetable ashes, and soot as the basis of my manures. ;
J

page_text: I boil the blood, offal, fish, fish offal, and bones, or any of them in dilute
muriatic acid, by preference sulphuric acid (say one part of acid to three
parts of water) in sufficient quantity to dissolve the bones (which I prefer
to crush or pulverize) and solid parts, and fix the nitrogenous constituents.
When the solution is complete, I concentrate the liquid by evaporation in
any suitable way to about the consistence of cream. I then mix the con-
centrated liquid with soot in the proportion of from five to ten parts of the
soot to one hundred parts of the raw materials, i.c., the blood, offal, fish,
fish offal, and bones (or any of them) used and thoroughly incorporate
the soot with the said liquid by any suitable means, in order to produce
more complete mechanical separation of the particles of the manure
according to my special principle, which I call "graining," which enables
the manure to be more readily dried, and more advantageously dis-
tributed over the land than heretofore when soot is mixed (as has
sometimes been done) with manure in an extremely fluid or too dry
condition, the result is essentially different from and inferior to that
which I obtain by my process. After the incorporation of the soot I.
dry the manure either by exposure to the air, or on hot drying plates, or
in any other suitable manner until it is fit to be pulverized. For the
manufacture of manure from leather and woollen refuse or shoddy, I
use an alkaline bath consisting of caustic lime and carbonate of soda,
or soda ash or common salt dissolved in water, say about fifty pounds of
lime and four pounds of carbonate of soda or soda ash, or six pounds of
common salt in one hundred gallons of water. I steep the leather,
woollen refuse, and shoddy (or any of them) in this bath for from twelve
to forty-eight hours and then remove them or it, and after washing
boil them or it in water until they or it are or is dissolved. I then
add sufficient acid (by preference sulphuric) to neutralize the alkalies
remaining in the solution, and then concentrate and add soot as before
described. By first steeping these substances in the alkaline solution
and then dissolving them by boiling I save materials.
I also treat bones in the following manner in order to produce a
manure specially adapted for cercals :-I pulverize the said bones and boil
them in an alkaline solution prepared by dissolving soda, potash, lime,
and magnesian lime in water. The proportions used may be about fifty
pounds of lime, fifty pounds of magnesian lime, twelve pounds of potash,
and twelve pounds of soda to one hundred gallons of water. When the
solution of the bones is complete I evaporate it to the consistence of

page_text: cream as herein-before described, and produce the graining by adding
ashes of vegetable refuse instead of soot, the use of soot being in-
admissible in an alkaline solution.
When horns are collected with the bones it is advantageous to
remove the piths from the horns in such a way as to prevent damage
to the quality of the horn or loss of manurial constituents in tho
pith. This I effect by placing the said horns in a suitable chamber
or vat heated by a steam jet or otherwise to a temperature of 65 to
85 degrees Fahrenheit. After remaining some days in this chamber
the piths can be easily removed, and the horn will be uninjured. The
piths may be dissolved as herein-first described for manure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
SMITH, of No. 37, Caledonian Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Richard Smith, Her special licenco, that I,
the said Richard Smith, my executors, dministrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Richard Smith, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within tho
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
the Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
ARTIFICIAL MANURES FROM ANIMAL, MINERAL, AND VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Smith, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
2

page_text: Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Smith, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thercof, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to the manufacture of artificial manures, and is
as follows:-I take various kinds of animal, mineral, and vegetable sub-
stances, such as blood and animal offal, fish and fish offal, bones, leather,
hair, shoddy, vegetable ashes, and soot, as the basis of my manures. I
boil the blood, offal, fish, fish offal, and bones (or any of them) in dilute
mineral acid, by preference sulphuric acid (say one part of acid to three
parts of water) in sufficient quantity to dissolve the bones (which I
prefer to crush or pulverize) and solid parts and fix the nitrogenous
constituents. When the solution is complete I concentrate the liquid
by evaporation in any suitable way to about the consistence of cream.
I then mix this concentrated liquid with soot in the proportion of from
five to ten parts of the soot to one hundred parts of the raw materials,
i.c. the blood, offal, fish, fish offal, and bones, or any of them used, and
thoroughly incorporate the soot with the said liquid by any suitable
incans in order to produce more complete mechanical separation of the
particles of the manure according to my special principle, which I call
graining," which enables the manure to be more readily dried and
more advantageously distributed over the land than heretofore. When
Boot is mixed (as has sometimes been done) with manure in an extremely
fluid or too dry condition, the result is essentially different from and
inferior to that which I obtain by my process. After the incorporation of
the soot I dry the manure either by exposure to the air, or on hot drying
plates or in any other suitable manner until it is fit to be pulverized.
"
For the manufacture of manure from leather and woollen refuse or
shoddy I use an alkaline bath consisting of caustic lime and carbonate
of soda or soda ash or common salt dissolved in water, say about fifty
pounds of lime and four pounds of carbonate of soda or soda ash or six
pounds of common salt in one hundred gallons of water. I steep the
leather, woollen refuse, and shoddy or any of these substances in this
bath for from twelve to forty-eight hours, and then remove them or it,
and after washing boil them or it in water until they or it are or is dis-
solved. I then add sufficient acid (by preference sulphuric) to neutralize

page_text: the alkalies remaining in the solution, and then concentrate and add soot
as before described. By first steeping these substances in the alkaline
solution and then dissolving them by boiling I save materials.
I also treat bones in the following manner in order to produce a
manure specially adapted for cereals:-I crush or pulverize the said bones
and boil them in an alkaline solution prepared by dissolving soda, potash,
lime, and magnesian lime in water. The proportions used may be about
fifty pounds of, lime, fifty pounds of magnesian lime, twelve pounds of
potash, and twelve pounds of soda to one hundred gallons of water.
When the solution of the bones is complete I evaporate it to the con-
sistence of cream as hercin-before described, and produce the " graining"
by adding ashes of vegetable refuse instead of soot, the use of soot being
inadmissible in an alkaline solution.
'
When horns are collected with the bones it is advantageous to remove
the piths from the horns in such a way as to prevent damage to the
quality of the horn, or loss of manurial constituents in the pith. This I
effect by placing the said horns in a suitable chamber or vat heated by a
steam jet or otherwise to a temperature of 65 degrees to 85 degrees
Fahrenheit. After remaining some days in this chamber the piths can
be easily removed and the horn will be uninjured. The piths may be
dissolved as hercin first described for manure.
Having described the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe
the manner in which the same is to be performed.
I prefer to collect the blood from the slaughter houses in tubs or
casks and to disinfect the said blood as soon as possible, or if decom-
position has not set in to prevent such decomposition by intimately
mixing it with from three to five per cent. of dilute sulphuric acid, say
one part of acid to three parts of water. The blood will then be in a
pasty state ready for subsequent use as described. I prefer to collect
the fish and fish offal.and animal offal in as fresh a state as possible,
and to boil it or them in suitably constructed boilers or extractors (for
instance ordinary egg-ended boilers provided with man-holes) under a
steam pressure of from forty to eighty pounds per inch, but the boiling
may be effected in open vessels though not so advantageously. I
generally find one hour's boiling under the above-named pressure
sufficient. The liquor may then be run off and it may be used instead
of water to dilute the sulphuric acid to be subsequently used in the
process, or if preferred it may be concentrated by evaporation to be used

page_text: in making the manure. The residuum which remains in the boiler (and
which I term "residue") may be passed under edge-runners or crushed
in any suitable way for use in making manure, as subsequently described.
I prefer to collect the bones in as fresh a condition as possible, and
to extract the fat and gelatine contained in them by boiling, thereby
obtaining valuable bye products. I then boil the bones either in an open
vessel, or under a pressure of from forty to eighty pounds per inch with
a small quantity of water or dilute mineral acid until the remainder of
the gelatine is extracted I then pass the bones, (which I call “boiled
bones" and which will be in a pulpy state) under edge runners,
and usc
them as subsequently described in making manure. If these substances
have been mixed or boiled separately or collectively with dilute mineral
acid they will now collectively or separately be in a fit state for con-
centration to the consistence of cream ready for the addition of or
"graining" with soot as herein previously described by the addition of
five to ten per cent. of such soot. But if the said substances have been
boiled in water the dilute sulphuric acid may now be added to and
mixed with them, and I prefer to effect this addition and mixture and
to mix the aforesaid substances in the following manner, whereby I
produce a compound manure :-I would premise that I do not limit
myself to the actual proportions of the blood, refuse, and "boiled bones"
given below, but I have found these proportions give excellent results.
I take twelve hundred pounds of blood, thirteen hundred pounds of
refuse, and six hundred pounds of "boiled bones" and mix them in any
suitable vessel by any suitable mechanical means with from three
hundred to six hundred pounds of sulphuric acid previously diluted with
about three times its weight of water, or water in which the fish has
been boiled. These materials must be intimately mixed until the
chemical combination is complete. The mixture will then form a semi-
fluid mass, and if sufficiently concentrated (i.c. if of about the con-
sistence of cream) I then add from two hundred to six hundred pounds
of soot, and intimately incorporate the whole together. If the said
mixture is not sufficiently concentrated I concentrate it by evaporation
to the desired consistence and then add the soot, or if too concentrated
I dilute with water and then add the soot. This compound manure will
then be ready for drying either by exposure to the air or on hot drying
plates, or in any other suitable manner until it is fit to be pulverized.
If either of the materials (i.c. blood "residue" or "boiled bones") is to
be manufactured separately into a manure the mode of manipulation is

page_text: or may be similar to or identical with that described above, and the
proportion of diluted sulphuric acid used is or may be from two and a
half to five per cent. for the blood, from ten to twenty per cent. for
the "residue," from twenty to thirty per cent. for the "boiled bones,"
and the proportion of soot used is or may be from five to ten per cent.
in each case. For general use I prefer the compound manure as described
above, but in many cases manure made from blood, or fish, or bones
separately will be found advantageous.
For the manufacture of manure from leather, woollen refuse, and
shoddy I proceed exactly as described with reference to these substances
in the first part of this Specification.
In order to manufacture a manure containing potash and alkaline
salts, and specially adapted for cereals, I take the "boiled bones" herein-
before mentioned, and boil them in an alkaline solution consisting of
about fifty pounds of lime, fifty pounds of magnesian lime, twelve pounds
of potash, and twelve pounds of soda to one hundred gallons of water
until dissolved. When the solution is complete I evaporate it to the
consistence of cream, and produce the "graining" by adding ashes of
vegetable refuse instead of soot, the use of soot being inadmissible in an
alkaline solution.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that
I do not limit myself to the precise details and proportions herein-
before described, as the same may be varied without departing from the
nature of my said Invention; but I claim as my Invention,―
-
Firstly. The process of manufacturing manure from animal and
mineral substances, i.e. blood, offal, fish, fish offal, bones, sulphuric acid,
and soot, essentially as hercin described.
Secondly. The "graining" of manures by the addition of soot to an
acid solution of the animal manurial materials herein-before mentioned
when concentrated to about the consistence of cream.
Thirdly. The process of manufacturing manure by steeping leather,
hair, woollen refuse, or shoddy in an alkaline bath composed of lime and
carbonate of soda or salt essentially as herein before-described, and sub-
sequently boiling the said leather, hair, woollen refuse, or shoddy in

page_text: water and neutralizing any free alkali present, and "graining" with tho
addition of soot after the concentration of the solution to the consistence.
of cream.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Smith, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Eighteenth day of April, in the year of 5
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
H. H. MURDOCH,
-7, Staple Inn,
London.
.. SMITH.
(L.S.)