Bone-dust

Bone-dust, like barnyard manare, does not imiuediately yield up its ¦hrogen and phosphorio acid to plants. The bonc phosphate of' lime is insolublc in water, and but very slightly soluble ia water containing carbonicacid. The gelatine of the bones would soon deconipose in a moist, porous, warm soil, provided it was not protected by the uil aod the hard matter of tho bonos. Steaming remores the oil, and reduces the bones to as une a conditioa as possible, is another means of increaMnK their availability. Another good mcthod is to mix the bone-dust with barnyard uianure and both fermcnt together, and 1 aiu inclined to think thjs is the best, siniplest, and most eoonomioal method of renderinK bones available. Tbc bone-dust causes the heap of maoure to fernient more rapidly, and the fèrmentation of the manure softens the bones. Both the raanure and the bones are improved and rendered richer and more available by the prooess. One ton of good bone-dust contains about as uiuch nitrogcn ae 8i toas of lroh stable uianure, and as niuch phosphoric acid as 110 tons of fresh stable manure. But one ton of manure contains more potanh than