FARM EXPERIMENTS AT LAKESIDE. 127 



Hydrate of lime 55 parts. 



Silica 13 " 



Charcoal 7 " 



Ashes, mixture of wood and coal . . 25 " 



100 parts. 



The large percentage of lime is due to the fact 

 that the ashes came from a limestone district, and 

 were probably taken from lime-kilns. 



Another substance known as " fish guano " or 

 " fish pomace " has acquired considerable reputa- 

 tion in this section as a fertilizing agent, especially 

 for grass lands. It consists of the dry residuum of 

 the fish-oil factories on the New England coast, 

 and is made up of the crushed bones and integu- 

 ments of fishes, from which the oil has been sep- 

 arated by great pressure. When pure and dry we 

 have found it to be a good and convenient plant 

 stimulant, and worth about twenty dollars a ton. 

 Probably but few of those who. have become pur- 

 chasers of this substance have suspected that it is 

 often so largely adulterated as to be comparatively 

 worthless. Some specimens found in the market, 

 and probably sold extensively to farmers, upon 

 analysis gave the following results : 



Water 17.26 



Sand . 46.00 



Phosphate of lirne 8.90 



Organic matter holding ammonia and salts of pot- 

 ash, soda, etc 27.84 



