524 Abstract Rejiort of Agricultural Discussions. 



found to produce a like result. So that tlie value of bones as a 

 fertilizer was made known, not by science, but tbe much decried 

 fox-hunting. 



Professor Voelckee, replying to the inquiries of Lord Cathcart, 

 said that wood-ashes contained many other good things in addition to 

 potash itself. Amongst these were phosphate of lime in considerable 

 quantity, carbonate of lime, and sulphate of lime. Indeed, the appli- 

 cation of wood-ashes might be said to amount to a dressing of potash, 

 a dressing of bones, a dressing of gypsum, and a dressing of marl, and 

 this must surely account for the greater benefit which wood-ashes pro- 

 duced in comparison with potash alone. He would rather buy wood- 

 ashes, therefore, by all means, than potash ; for potash contained only 

 one of those constituents. There was a good deal of potash in wood- 

 ashes, and although the wood-ashes might have been washed, they still 

 formed silica of potash. With regard to the marl question, he should 

 like to know whether the soil, although resting on marl, in reality 

 contained lime. 



Lord Cathcart : The soil was very thin. It Avas nearly on the 

 marl, being within a few inches only. 



Professor Voelcker had found in the Cotswold district soils on 

 which the calcareous gravel cropped up within an inch and a-half of 

 the siu*face, that the soil which rested uj)on it had scarcely a particle 

 of lime, or certainly not one-half per cent. ; and in such cases the 

 application of road-scrapings to the land had been attended with con- 

 siderable effect. It was possible, therefore, that in many localities 

 where marl aboiinded all around, the surface soil nevertheless still 

 stood in need of lime. 



Lord Cathcart : Had it any effect on the mechanical condition of 

 the laud? 



Professor Voelcker thought not. The quantity of potash which 

 could be used on the land in the shape of wood-ashes was from 

 economical considerations so small, that it would not produce any 

 marked effect in neutralizing the acids, or what was called the sour 

 humours of the land. And here he called to mind a practice which 

 was followed in Hampshire, of putting chalk upon chalk. Chalk was 

 in the land, visible to the eye, and the lower chalk was put upon the 

 surface chalk ! Here the reason of success was not the same as in the 

 application of marl upon marl. The lower chalk contained phos- 

 phates, the upper chalk contained none, or only mere traces of 

 phosphates. Hence the application of chalk from the lower pits 

 would introduce a new element of fertility which was not jiresent in 

 the upper chalk. Professor Way would bear him out in what he had 

 said on this subject, for the Professor had himself examined the upper 

 and lower chalks, and had drawn attention to the difference in this 

 respect. 



Professor Way said there was no doubt that Dr. Voelcker was quite 

 correct. There were two conditions. In fact, the explanation dealt 

 with two different sets of circumstances : the one, where the upper 

 soil had no lime, or not sufficient lime present in it ; the other where 

 something new was introduced besides the chalk. Some years ago a 



