372 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 

 PEOPOSED UTILIZATION OP FISH-BONES. 



German manufacturers are continually engaged in purchas- 

 ing fish-bones, gathered along the Norwegian shores near ex- 

 tensive fish-curing establishments. These are pulverized and 

 converted into fertilizers. It is sug^o^ested that arranixements 

 be made for utilizing the bones from the establishments in 

 Newfoundland, such products of American fisheries, being 

 estimated at 120,000,000 pounds per year. 23 A, XXII., 

 263. 



WHAT POTASH SALTS TO BUY. 



Professor Goessmann concludes that our dealers act in the 

 best interest of their consumers by importing none but 80 per 

 cent, containing muriate of potash, and 40 to 50 per cent, con- 

 taining sulphate of potash, the former being equivalent to 50 

 per cent, of potassium oxide, the latter to 25 per cent. These 

 compounds are the cheapest of their kind, and answer the re- 

 quirements of both general and special farming. Our farm- 

 ers do best as a general rule to ask for the higher grades of 

 these fertilizers, and to use the lower grades, if cheap, only for 

 forage crops. i?6p^. Sec. 3Iass. Board of Agric, 1 87 4-5, 362. 



WOOD-ASHES AS A POTASH FERTILIZER. 



From a very elaborate and thorough investigation of the 

 composition of wood-ashes from household fires, by Professor 

 Storer,it appears that these contain, unleached and dry, about 

 8^ per cent, of potash, somewhat more than the lowest grades 

 of German potash salts. Either leached or unleached, the dry 

 ashes contain about two per cent, of phosphoric acid, of which 

 none occurs in the German salts. In Storer's field experi- 

 ments, wood- ashes (unleached) applied in large quantities 

 brought larger yields of barley, beans, and rutabagas than 

 farm-yard manure, city stable manure, or any single potash 

 salt, as sulphate, carbonate, or even nitrate. In comment- 

 ing upon these results, Storer says : " Wood-ashes are more 

 serviceable than any single potash salt, not only because they 

 contain some phosphoric acid, lime, magnesia, and the less 

 valuable elements of plant -food, but because, considering 

 them merely as a potassic manure, they contain a mixture 

 of potash salts. It may be regarded as well-nigh certain 



