THE BEST WAY TO REDUCE BONES.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 17, 29 October 1874, Page 4

THE BEST WAY TO REDUCE BONES.

To a question concerning the most practicable method of pulverising bones Professor S W.Johnston has pubUshed the following answer in the ' Tribune': — " If you have ground -bones,' make them up into a compact heap with twice their bulk of- coal, ashes, muck, sawdust, loam, or even sand j moisten fhe whole thoroughly, with : water and cover the heap with a few inches of earth. In warm weather, the bones will begin to heat in a few days, 'and," usually, in a week or two the bones will be reduced to a mouldy mass, tbat they may he rubbed to powder in the hand. The exterior of the heap, for a few inches of depth, may not ferment as thoroughly. If needful, the heap may be opened, turned, moistened' again, and set into a second fermentation. The larger the heap, the finer the bone, and the warmer the weather, the more rapidly will tbe fermentation go on. The above process will not only reduce eoarselvcrusbed bones to a state suitable for distribution, but is an excellent w;ay to treat bone-dust just before application, rendering it more active. With coarser bones more time will be needful, while opening the top of the heap at various points, and pouring in stale urine -or dung-heap liquor will expedite the process The Russian method of reducing entire bones with potash, or, what amounts to the same thing, with Voodashes and lime, is as fallows:— To 40001 b of bone take 4000lb of woodashes, 600olb of fresh-burned lime, 4500 lb water. First slake the lime to a powder, mix it with the ashes, and placing a layer of bones in a woooden vessel — a pit in the ground lined with boards or stone slabs— -cover, them with the mixture, lay down more bones and cover, and . repeat this until half the honest or 20001 b, are intestratified with the ashes and lime, then pour on 3600 lb of water, and let stand. From time to time add water to keep the mass moist Sp soon as the t^ones bave

softened so -thatAy lean be crushed between the fingers to a soft soap-li-e mass, take the other 20001 bof bone, and stratify them. in another vessel or pit with the contents of the first. When the whole is soft, shovel it out to dry, and finally mix with. dry muck or loam (4noolb). or enough to make it handle well." ,