BONES VALUABLE FOR MANURE.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 130, 1 December 1908, Page 7

BONES VALUABLE FOR MANURE.

It will pay tho farmer to save the bones; they contain phosphates in their most perfect state. But it will destroy all the nitrogen in the bones to burn them. In fresh bones there is 30 per cent, of what is called gelatine, and if they are burned 30 parts of the nitrogen that is in the gelatino will be destroyed. There nro 27.8-i parts of the bones that are phosphate; burning does not destroy the phosphates, but is not the best process of keeping them in the most fertilising condition. There are 30.59 parts of bones that are lime. Put into a barrel or box a layer of bones, ' then cover with fresh-made ashes and dampen, then put tho second layer of bones and ashes, and thus • alternate 1 until the alkali in the ashes will penetrate tho bones and soften them. Tho | ashes should be kept damp. This | process will retain most of the gela- [ tine, therefore keeping the best fer- | tilising principles in the manure. After the bones have remained in this ash mixture for several months, they can bo easily broken and prepared for tho mill to crush into powder or particles no larger than a pea. Such a phosphato from waste bones will be highly useful when applied to land. Tho ashes containing the potash will, be quit© as valuable as commercial potash when bought by tho name of Gonnan kainit. It is a progressive mind that proposes to utilise tli© bones that are found scattered over the country, by dissolving them and converting them into potatoes, corn, and wheat. This will be saving the wastes of the farms. The reading farmer is the man to change the useless into valuable substances.