RYE. 117 



Question. Do you put ashes on the crop of wheat or the 

 preceding crop ? 



Mr, Wakeman. We do not put them on to get a crop of 

 wheat but more for the crops that come after. 



Mr. Day. I have been somewhat interested in that fish 

 question and I should hke to ask a few more questions of the 

 gentleman in regard to the value of the different fertilizers 

 that he has used and what effect they have had upon his land. 

 What is the effect upon your land of fish or fish pom mace ? 



Mr. Wakeman. I think we get all the benefit from fish the 

 first year. 



Mr. Sanger. Isn't it a good investment at that ? 



Mr. Wakeman. We have never found it so. There was 

 probably a hundred tons within three or four miles of where 

 I live, which was offered for about ten dollars a ton, and the 

 farmers would not take it at that price. The past year some 

 little was bought. We consider that when we put in ashes 

 we never lose the effect. We always see the benefit of them 

 as long as we cultivate the soil, and we consider a bushel of 

 leached ashes as good as a bushel of unleached. I suppose 

 the ashes came from Canada. 



Mr. Sanger. About how manv bushels to the acre ? 



Mr. Wakeman. Where we have not put on ashes before 

 we generally put on two bundred bushels to the acre. 



Mr. Hall. What effect docs that have upon your crops of 

 rye ? As much as on your wheat ? 



Mr. Wakeman. We do not raise but very little rye. We 

 never seed down with rye. Perhaps some gentlemen think I 

 am telling a pretty big story when I say we lay out so much 

 money for manures, but I think Mr. Gold will bear me out. 

 He has been in that section of country, and knows what the 

 farmers there use. I should think that in six miles square 

 there were used the present year about 50,000 bushels of ashes, 

 besides two hundred tons of bone dust and other fertilizers. 



Mr. Hall. Do I understand you to say that a bushel of 

 leached ashes is equal to a bushel of unleached ? 



Mr. Wakeman. We consider it so, and most of the 

 farmers who use them think they are just as good after lying 



