bone meal

bone meal, finely ground bone used as a fertilizer for its content of phosphate and nitrogen (about 23%–30% available phosphate and 2%–4% nitrogen); it is an expensive form of phosphoric acid when compared with superphosphates. Bone meal is also fed to farm animals to supply needed mineral food constituents, e.g., calcium and phosphorus.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.