Miscellaneous Intelligence. 383 



that of the green vegetable to the incinaration of the mixed saline 

 mass, commonly known in our markets by the name opearlash. 

 The " immense advantages," however, which are to be derived 

 from this practice, seem to depend on a fallacy which is of such 

 a nature, 1 that it appears rather to be the consequences of a direct 

 mis-statement than of any conceivable error. The French 

 statement is indeed followed by a comparative experiment made 

 in Ireland by Mr. Rice, the results of which are far different, 

 and such as to confirm the suspicion here stated. According 

 to the French experiment, the produce of potash per acre, is 

 above 2,000 Ibs. ; in Mr. Rice's, it is only 201* Ibs. It is true 

 that owing to differences in the method of burning vegetables, 

 whether terrestrial or marine, they are found to yield very differ- 

 ent proportions of alkali, from circumstances respecting the pecu- 

 liar nature of these substances, the mode of their existence in 

 vegetables, and the changes they undergo in the fire, with which we 

 are not yet acquainted. But as the method of drying and burn- 

 ing are fully described in the original experiment and appear to 

 have been accurately followed in Ireland, this cannot account for 

 the extraordinary differences in the results respectively obtained. 



Being desirous of further verifying the French statement, 

 which, certainly, if correct, offered no small temptation to agri- 

 culturists, I requested my friend Sir John Hay, Bart., to make 

 a large experiment for that end, on his farm near Peebles ; and 

 as it was executed with that accuracy which characterizes his 

 whole system of agriculture, his well-known reputation will 

 afford sufficient proof that it was worthy of reliance. I ought, 

 however, to add, that lest any thing should arise to throw a doubt 

 on the event, the directions given in the narrative of the French 

 experiment, were implicitly followed in every particular, from 

 the cutting to the burning of the plant, and that the ashes were 

 weighed, lixiviated, and examined by myself. 



The result of two trials on two separate acres, follow ; and 

 the Scotch acre, it must be remembered, is one seventh larger 

 than the English. It is presumed that in the original statement 

 the measures were reduced to the English acre. The first acre 

 was a rich loamy soil at King's Meadows ; the potatoes were 

 drilled, and produced a good crop. They were cut, as directed, 

 immediately after flowering, left ten days to dry, and burnt in 

 a pit. the produce was 222 Ibs. of ashes, and, on lixiviation 

 and drying, these yielded 55 Ibs. of impure potash, or mixed 

 salts. 



The second acre was a clayey wet soil, with a retentive bot- 

 tom; but the crop, which was also drilled, was considered 

 moderate. These stems were treated in the same manner; 

 but the burning had been more complete, as the ashes con- 

 tained less charcoal than the preceding. They only weighed 

 112lbs., and produced 28 Ibs. of impure potash. 



