MR F. T. MAYO’S BONE MILL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1308, 6 August 1886, Page 2

MR F. T. MAYO’S BONE MILL.

An enormous amount of matters la continually extracted from the soil in the shape of vegetable and animal food. These matters are collected by a hugs and complex system of supply from a vast acreage of ground and it has been calculated that tha amount of mineral substance which are thus drawn from the soil In tha shape of vegetable and animal food represent the huge total of 10,£0),0001ba per annum per million inhabitants. New, it logica'ly follows, that something most bo done to restore to the land tbe oonstl uents which are necessary to the maintenance of plant life if it is contemplated to retain that land in cultivation. Hence the expedient of manuring has been retorted t). Of manures, there are many sorts, but all are used for the same purpose, that of imparting to tha soil tha plant of which it has been deprived, or of which it was originally deficient. The value of bones as a manure has long been known, their elf-eta as a durable fertiliser of permanent grass lands having attracted particular attention. But they are no lesi valuable as food foe annual crops, such, for instance, as carrots and turnips, bat for these the , benefit to be derived must bo immediate i if at all, end it is necessary tnat the i bones should be in a oondith nto quickly ; become soluabia and thus be capable of i absorption by the plant. It has been frequently observed that £olbs of bone I dost has boon in its beneficial | effjot to 200 or 300 lbs of half-inch or j coarsely crushed bones, simply because the Ist er requires more tima to become j soluble. It may ba hteresxing here, to note the composition of boi e. Apj proximjtely speaking it may be said to be t as follows : i Cartilage, water, fat, etc. ... ... 48 9 Phosphate of lime, magnesia ... 46 1 Carbonate of lima 4 t Alkaline chlorides and sulphides ... 2

100 We do not think it neccessary to enter on a dissertation as to the properties . of these various constituents therefore we will proceed with the object of this notice which is to give a brief description of Mr Mayo’s bone crashing mill, an industry of a most valuable character to farmers. On Thursday afternoon wo visited the mill and although we pounced down upon - the genial proprietor unawares be most courteously showed ua round the premises, explaining everythin?. It is now some five years ago that, Mr Mayo first commenced bone crabbing and since then ha has 1-eou rapidly < s'ei-.uiag his business connection ; he has Lad several orders hom as far south as iuvircargili and has sent some small lota of bone dust to Auckland Thu crashing machinery Is driven by a large 12 h p. traction engine, the pride of Mr Mayo’s heart, which in addition to performing this work in a most punctilious manner has acquired a reputation for shifting houses, driving threshing mills et hoc genus omne The bones to be operated upon come from all parts of the County and the small boys in the immediate neighborhood make abundance of pocket money and at the same time keep themselves out cf mischief by collecting and bringing “ grist to the mill." Before being ground to dust the larger bones have to be broken into more conveniently sized peioes and for this purpose they are thrown on to,two revolving iron rollers, in shape something like the cutter of a lawn mower ona larger scale. (The modus operand! of this machine is fearfully suggestive as to what the result would be were one to get an atm entangled therein. A large thigh-bone of a bullock ia snbjected to its clutch ; the bone quivers slightly, then passes rapidly through, to fait in fragments on the floor. From hence it passes to the next machine which it enters. In this machine beaters are revolving at a tremendous rate and they hurl the fragments of bone against a serrated surface till the pieces are of a consistency fine enough to pass through graters which are provided for the purpose. By affixing graters cl different . sizes, the bone Is crushed correspondingly coarse or fine. On coming cut of this machine the bone is screened: that which passes through being of about the consistency of oatmeal The coarse pieces remaining behind, together with any pieces of bide that may have adhered, are then thrown into a heap and covered., till the latter has “sweated” away. Then, if not disposed of for crchard or garden purposes—iq which case, of course, the bone is not required to be so fine as for an annual crop—it Is again subjected to the merciless beaters, this time leavipj the machine fine enough to'pass through the screen. One very noticeable feature in connection with Ar Mayo’s mill is that neither outside or inside the building is there the disagreeable smell generally associated with works of this description to bo noticed. Nor, during the whole time it has been in ex stance, has a single complaint been received. In conclusion we must aay, though we have not apace to recount the benefits we have ourselves observed to follow the application of a dressing of bonednst, not only on the farm but in the orchard apd garden, that the Industry which is being carried on by Mr Mayo is a boon to cultivators in this communi y and one that will yearly become more and more appreciated.