210 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



tliey might be worth somethuig as fertilizers, though I do not 

 know how to use them. I would like to know if I can make 

 any use of them as fertilizers. 



Dr. Nichols. I should advise you to use them as a top dress- 

 ing for low lands. Put them on your meadow^ as tliey are. 

 They are a little better than sand — not much. Usually, there 

 is about five per cent, of soluble matter in them. 



Mr. Alexander Hyde. In the western part of the State, we 

 use leached ashes abundantly, and we find somewhat diQerent 

 results from what you have stated here to-day. I would like to 

 know if your leached ashes were not commercial ashes, which 

 were diluted wiih sand ? I fear you did not do leached ashes 

 quite justice. 



Dr. Nichols. I do not know how to present the relative 

 value of leached ashes except by simply stating, that you can- 

 not get something out of nothing. That is impossible. We 

 regard the potash and soda in ashes as being the two great 

 essentials. You know potash enters into all our cereals very 

 largely, and is one of our most important mineral agents. If 

 you ])ut your ashes into the hands of the soap-maker, he extracts 

 all the potash and soda, and you have them back minus all that 

 is soluble ; and in order that he may extract the very last parti- 

 cle of potash and soda-, he will add a little lime, which has the 

 effect to extract from the ashes all the caustic potash and soda. 

 I never made a comparative experiment with leached ashes, 

 because I never felt that I could make one without acting soiiie- 

 what .empirically. It would be an empirical undertaking to 

 contrast the fertilizing effect of leached and iinleached ashes, 

 because I know before I begin precisely what I have, and I 

 cannot expect to get something out of nothing. I might get 

 something that would delude me by appearances, l)ut in reality 

 I could not be deluded, because I know what the composition 

 of leached and unleachcd ashes is ; at least, if the leached ashes 

 are thoroughly exhausted. I must confess that in some in- 

 stances they are not fully exhausted, and in that case, they are 

 worth a little more than if fully exhausted. 



Colonel Wilder. I suppose in relation to the use of barn- 

 yard manures, where they can be had conveniently, you would 

 approve of their being used in a mechanical sense. That is, 



