342 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



amount occurs therein as nitric acid, a large part of the ni- 

 trogen being abstracted from the manure in this way. Of 

 what is left, however, a very considerable portion is accumu- 

 lated in the soil, and is carried into its deeper strata. 



LEACHED ASHES AS A MANURE. 



An agricultural journal of Germany calls renewed attention 

 to the great value, as a manure, of soap-boilers' leached ashes, 

 which, as is well known, are prepared by mixing wood-ashes 

 with fresh-burnt lime, and boiling or leaching the two togeth- 

 er for the purpose of obtaining a caustic lye. Although the 

 soluble salts are removed from these ashes, the insoluble parts 

 remain, namely, the carbonates, sulphates, and phosphates, 

 principally lime salts, accompanied generally by a little caus- 

 tic lime. Experience has shown that there is no substance 

 equal to leached ashes of this kind for manure, not excepting 

 even the richest guanos ; the vegetation of the cereals becom- 

 ing broader than common by its use, and the stalks more tu- 

 bular, while the leaves grow of a dark bluish green. The 

 value of this application is seen more particularly in mead- 

 ows, where, curiously enough, nearly all the ordinary grass 

 disappears in consequence, and instead of it a thick vegeta- 

 tion of red clover is met with, which will be renewed year by 

 year for a long time, without additional supply. C 1, in., 48. 



GUANO IN THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 



A Buenos Ayres journal congratulates the people of the 

 Argentine Republic upon the discovery of guano in great 

 quantity on certain sea islands belonging to that country, an 

 entire cargo having lately arrived at* the city. The discov- 

 erer reports that the amount is very large, and dreams of 

 rivalry with Peru in the possession of this valuable commodi- 

 ty are already freely indulged by the Argentines. Panama 

 Sta,r and Herald. 



FISH-GUANO FLOUR FROM LOFFODEN. 



A Norwegian company offers for sale a fish guano from the 

 Loffoden Islands, prepared from the heads and backbones of 

 the codfish, collected during the great winter fisheries off the 

 Norwegian coast, principally by children and old and infirm 

 persons who have no other means of subsistence. Formerly 



