70 THE CONNECTICUT AGRICULTUEAL 



same seed got a good crop. This plowed ground on examination 

 developed the reason why the buckwheat did not respond. It 

 was this : the June grass turf is much like a sTieepskin with the 

 wool on, turned over, the moisture could not come up through 

 the tough soil. But the following spring it was plowed and 

 stocked down with oats, red top and clover. The oat crop was 

 scood, the wrass seed made a good catch and last October the red 

 top was six to eight inches high. There are hundreds of acres of 

 this kind of land in the northeastern portion of the United States, 

 and Connecticut especially has her share. According to your 

 analysis, what is now called the poorest soil, almost worthless, is 

 actually a small mine of wealth if nature is aided in throwing off 

 the water ; and the plow vrill frequently do the important part." 



On Reducing Bones with Ashes. 



On page 67 of the last report, in discussing this subject it was 

 advised to use gypsum (land plaster) in making a compost heap 

 of bones and ashes. The action of the ashes on the bone is due 

 to the alkaline qualities of their carbonate of potash or of the 

 caustic potash which results from its mixture with quicklime. 

 The use of gypsum was suggested by the fact that this substance 

 is a preservative of animal matter and would tend to prevent 

 waste of nitrogen. 



Professor E. W. Hilgard, of San Francisco, Cal., has kindly 

 called my attention to the fact that gypsum (sulphate of lime) 

 destroys the solvent effect of ashes on the bone tissue, as he has 

 found by actual trial, and as must be anticipated from the well- 

 known chemical changes which take place between sulphate of lime 

 and carbonate of potash when they are dissolved together in water. 

 They yield in fact carbonate of lime and sulphate of potash 

 which are quite without effect on the bone. 



