BONE FERTILIZERS. 275 BONES. Bone-Meal. Bone-Dust. These are different names applied to the same thing, viz.. very linely ground bone. The produet may be finely -rronnd raw bones, but it usually consists of bones which have been boiled, steamed, or extracted with sol- vents previous to grinding. STE.JfED Bone, a lavge part of the bone used for fertilizing is either boiled or steamed. This treatment removes the fat, which interferes with the action of the bone as a fertilizer, but is valuable for other purposes, and the larger part of the nitrogenous matter, which is valuable as a fertilizer and also for the preparation of gelatin and glue. Bones dcgelatiuized by steam- ing contain from 28 to St) per cent, of phos- phoric acid and 1.25 to 1.75 per cent, of nitro- gen. Steaming at a high temperature improves t he mechanical condition of bones. Dissolved Boxes. This is the term applied to the product resulting from the action of strong ■sulphuric acid upon bones. The acid converts the insoluble (tricalcium) phosphate into soluble ( monocalcium) phosphate, and calcium sulphate, or gypsum : (Ca3(P0J, + 2H,S0^ = CaH4(P04), + 2CaS0,). The product is a dark-colored, coarse, soft pow- der. This method of treating bones is little usod at present, because soluble phosphates are more easily and satisfactorily prepared from mineral phosphates and because bones are suffi- ciently etTective as a fertilizer without such treatment. Boxe-Ta>-kage. This is a product which con- sists of bone mi.ed with meat-scrap and blood or other slaughterhouse refuse in a line state of division, and is usually richer in nitrogen and poorer in phosphoric acid than pure bone, (several different grades are recognized in the trade, in which the phosphoric acid varies from 7 percent. ( tankage, q.v. ) to 19 per cent, (nearly pure bone ) . BoxE-Asii, the product resulting from the burn- ing of bones, is imported in considerable quan- tities from South .America. It contains no nitro- gen, and its fertilizing value depends entirely upon the phosphoric acid present. This is quite variable: but good samples should contain, ac- cording to Voorhees, from 27 to 36 per cent. Bone-ash is applied as a fertilizer, either directly or after being converted into superphosphate (q.v.) by treatment with sulphuric acid, as in case of dissolved bone. BoNEBLACK. This is the product resulting from the carbonization of bones by heating in closed vessels. It is used for clarifying solu- tions, especially syrups, as a pigment, and as a fcitilizer, either directly or after treatment with sulphuric acid. It is usually the s])ent bone- black from refineries that is used in the manu- facture of fertilizers. The boneblack from this source is somewhat variable in composition, but usually contains from 32 to 3(! per cent, of phosphoric acid. Dissolved boneblack, the form in which it usually appears as a fertilizer, con- tains about 16 per cent, of phosphoric acid solu- ble in water and in ammonia citrate (reverted). This is one of the most important sources of superphosphates in fertilizers. See article Bone- black. The nature and composition of bone is such that it gradually yields its nitrogen and phos- phoric acid for tlie use of the plant in the soil : and while it is sometimes treated with acid, as described above, to render its phosphoric acid more available, it is probably most effective when ap])lied in the fine-ground condition and to slow-growing crops. It is the only one of the phosphatic materials, except phosphatiu slag (q.v.) , which is so used with advantage. BONEFISH. See Ladytish. BONELLI, b6-nel'ls, Francois Andr£ (1784- 1830). An Italian zoologist. He was bom at Cuneo (Piedmont), became a professor in the University of Turin, a director of the Museum in Turin, and a member of the Ac'aderay of Sciences there. He made extensive scientific jour- neys in Europe, and published a number of highly esteemed works on entomology, such as Specimen FauncE Subalpinw (1807). BONER, bon'er, Ch.4^kles (1815-70). An English author, born at Weston. He was a special correspondent of the London Da ill/ Xens, and also wrote for the Xew York Tribune and other well - known newspapers. Many notable translations from the German were made by him, including particularly Hans Andersen's Danish Stortj-Book (1846), and Dream of Little Tuck (1848). His other works include Chamois-Hunt- ing (1853>; 'erscs (1858); Forest Creatures (1861) ; and Trnnsylrania: Its Products and Its People (London, 18G5). BCNER, John He>by ( 1845-1903 ) . .
Ameri-
can poet, born at Salem, X. C. He learned the printer's trade, and in 1867 was editor of the iialem Observer and the Asherille Pioneer. He was chief clerk of the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1869 and 1870, ami was in the civil service at Washington from 1871 to 1887. He removed to Xew York in 1887. and was a member of the stall's of the Century Dic- tionary, the Literary Digest. A Library of Ameri- can Literature, and the Standard Dictionary. In 1901 he again undertook bureau work at Washington. He published ^yhispering Pines (1883), a volume of verse. His best-known poem is "Poe's Cottage at ForJham," first pub- lished in the Century Magazine. BONER, bo'ner, Ulrich, One of the oldest German fabulists. He was a preaching friar of Bern, and is frequently mentioned in documents of the years 1324-49. His collection of 100 fables, entitled Der Edel-stein, was published at Bamberg, 1461, and was one of the first German hooks printed. It is marked by purity of style and by clear and vivid delineation. This book is one of the greatest of bibliographical rarities, not more than two copies being known to exist. Bodmer and Brcitinger published a complete edi- tion of the work at Zuricli. in 1757. under the title Fnbeln aus den Zeiten der Minnesinger. Re- cent years have seen frequent reprints, notably in Redam's Universal-llihliothek (Leipzig, 1895). BONES. Originally four pieces of the ribs of horses, or oxen, held in the hands and rapped together to mark time and rhythm. In early times the bones were called 'knicky-knackers,' a word originating in the old English nakerers, mentioned in Chaucer's Knight's Tale. The fact that Bottom speaks of the 'tongs and the bones' in M idsummer Xight's Dream is proof that they formed part of the rustic music in Shakespeare's time. 'They are still played by negro minstrels. See Castanets.
