LEACHED AND UNLEACHED ASHES. 203 



friend, the president of the Horticultural Society, J. F. C. 

 Hyde, Governor Brown, and other gentlemen are aware, for 

 twenty years, and I have given my opinion upon that subject, 

 but I never found anything so useful as wood ashes ; and hence, 

 I resorted to potash, making a solution and pouring it upon 

 heaps of coal ashes, shovelling the heaps over from time to time, 

 and mixing them thoroughly. I supposed it was useful, 

 although I always had my doubts whether my laboratory was 

 as good as Nature's . 



Mr. Wetherell. I would inquire the difference between 

 good wood ashes and leached ashes, applied as fertilizers. 



Dr. Nichols. There may be some question in relation to ther 

 relative value of leached and unleached ashes, but I think there 

 is an undue value put upon leached ashes.* We must remember 

 that in tlie process of leaching, all that is soluble is removed 

 from the ashes ; very nearly all the potash and the soda are 

 removed, and consequently the decrease in value corresponds 

 with the value of the products that are removed. I should say, 

 that when unleached ashes can be bought for twenty cents a 

 bushel, it would be better to buy them, than to buy leached 

 ashes at ten cents. Leached ashes spread upon grass ground 

 of course will produce very good effects ; but I think after con- 

 trasting these effects with the effects of unleached asties, tliat 

 faVmers are often led into error. Yoit see it is very difficult to 

 tell precisely what actual results you get. A man buys a dozen 

 bushels of leached ashes and places them on his field and he 

 sees that they increase the production of his field. He buys a 

 quantity of unleached ashes, and applies them to his field, and 

 he gets good results ; but he does not take time enough to con- 

 trast the results of the one with the other. Now, unleached 

 ashes will carry crops several years, or three years at least, but 

 leached ashes will generally spend themselves in one season. 

 I should say the relative value of leacliei and unleached ashes 

 was about as ten to thirty. 



Mr. Slade. I understood you to say that the value. of fish 

 pomace was twenty dollars a ton. I should like to know how 

 you arrive at it, and what you compare it with ? 



Dr. Nichols. I determine it by actual analysis, in contrast 

 Willi the cost of other products. 



Mr. Slade. Peruvian guano ? 



