APATITE is the scientific and commercial name applied to a mineral mainly consist ing of phosphate of lime (bone-earth), and which for some years past has been largely used in the preparation of manures. It is employed for the same purpose as bones or ' bone-ash—namely, to supply phosphoric acid to the soil. The massive radiated variety is sometimes called phosphorite, and when massive, earthy, and impure, it is also known as osteolite. Coprolites (q.v.), or phosphatic nodules, are likewise mainly composed of ' phosphate of lime. A. is found as a bedded rock, in compact spheroidal masses, in veins and dykes, and as an accessory constituent of rocks. It exists in nearly all geologi cal formations, but is perhaps most abundant in the older metamorphic rocks. Exten sive deposits of A. occur in various parts of the world. From Kragertie in Norway, where it occurs associated with granitic rocks, and from Estremadura in Spain, where it is found in cretaceous strata, it has been largely sent to England, the total imports of these mineral phosphates having in some years reached 5000 tons. There is a bed of A., 18 in. thick, of Silurian age, at Llanfyllin in North Wales, which has been exten sively worked. A remarkable deposit of a kind of A., or rather rock guano, which has been termed " sombrerite," was discovered some years ago in the small island of Som brero, situated about GO m. to the e. of St. Thomas, in the West Indian group. It covers a great part of the island, which is about lim. long, by Iths of a mile in breadth. Mr. A. A. Julien, writing from the spot in 1864, says there "is a natural division of the sombrero guano into two varieties. One of an oolitic structure, of a great variety of colors, and containing, in addition to the bone (3CaO,P00 and neutral (2CaO,PO,) phos phates of lime, the phosphates of alumina, iron, and magnesia, etc. The other variety, generally of a broad concretionary structure, is of a white or yellowish-white color, con taining a little carbonate of lime, sulphate of lime, etc., but especially abounds in bone phosphate of lime. It is almost certain that the former more nearly resembles the origi nal deposit, and is the older of the two; while the latter is far more uniform in compo sition. The guano is interlaminatecl with ordinary coral limestone." It is now believed that this hard or rock guano has been formed by water filtering through ordinary guano, into the coral rock adjoining, and turning it more or less completely into phosphate .of lime. A similar hard guano occurs at Monk's island, and one or two others in the Car ribbean sea. Large quantities have been introduceil into this country, and still more into the United States, under the name of sombrero guano, and are extensively employed by the manufacturers of artificial manures, in place of ordinary bone-ash. The general treatment to which mineral phosphate is subjected, is to reduce it to powder, and act upon the pulverized matter with sulphuric acid, which renders the phosphoric acid in the A. soluble in water, and thereby facilitates its introduction into the plant. These
substances require to be ground to a finer powder, and subjected to a more protracted digestion than bones. In the greater number of cases where the A. or sombrero guano is treated in this way, it is mixed with other manures, such as Peruvian guano, blood, or true bones, and thus a complex substance is manufactured, which is much more acceptable to the plant than the simple A. or mineral phosphate itself. The great impor tance of mineral phosphate, in an agricultural point of view, arises from the fact that no mineral substance possesses more influence over the growth of the edible plants, such as wheat, barley, oats, turnips, etc., than phosphoric acid does; any cheap source of that substance, therefore, is a great boon. The island of Sombrero contains as much phosphatic or bony matter as is present in many millions of oxen, and represents as much manure as would be obtained by the employment of the bones of these cattle. The different varieties of A. contain a little fluoride or chloride of calcium, or both, as well as phosphate of lime. Of these varieties, besides those already mentioned, there are others, as moroxite, franeolite, and asparagus stone. It occurs both massive and in crystals—which are generally small, and are often six-sided prisms, or six-sided tables, but some very large ones have been brought from Canada. It occurs in some of the tin mines in Cornwall, Saxony, Bohemia, etc., and in rocks of various ages, as mentioned above- It is found of various colors, more or less green, blue or red, sometimes white, and often gray. The proposal to employ it as a manure first excited much interest in 1356, and began to be enterprisingly carried into effect, with happy results—rocks once deemed most barren being thus rendered conducive to the fertility of soils. In Spain, A. is used as a building stone.
APE, a name commonly given to the tailless monkeys. (See BARBARY APE, CHIMPANZEE, GIBBON, GORILLA, ORANG-OTANO, etc.) It was originally commensurate in signification with monkey, and the terms were indiscriminately used. The origin of the word is uncertain. See MONKEY.
The worship of apes or monkeys has been common among pagan nations from a period of remote antiquity, and still prevails very extensively, being practiced in Japan, in India, and by some of the African tribes. '1 he source of it is perhaps to be found partly in the doctrine of the transmigration of souls, and partly in the qualities which apes have been supposed to possess in a conspicuous degree, and of which they have been made symbolic. Au A.'s tooth, kept iu a temple in Ceylon, was regarded with extraordinary veneration, and immense wealth was accumulated through the continual offerings of the worshipers; but the temple was plundered, and the tooth carried away by the Portuguese in 1554.