140 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



in view of the difficulty of procuring ashes, I resorted to the 

 expedient of Iniyiug potash, diluting it, and mixing it with 

 meadow muck. I found it to answer a most excellent pur- 

 pose. 



Prof. GoESSMANN. Our commercial potash is undoubt- 

 edly a good material, but it is too expensive to buy. Be- 

 sides, it requires very particular care to prevent its' serious 

 action* on vegetable matter, as it is a very strong alkali. 

 But as far as potash is the material wanted, I would recom- 

 mend any neutral compound, like the Stassfurt compounds, 

 as being cheaper, and being neutral compounds, either chlo- 

 ride or sulphide. 



Question. What is the comparative value of ashes 

 worked in a high or low temperature ? 



Prof. GoESSMANN. Aslics produced by high temperature 

 are liable to lose part of their potash, as, during the process 

 of combustion, the carbon of the organic substance is reduced 

 to potassium and rendered volatile. 



Mr. Trask. I want to ask the professor a single question. 

 The question has been raised, perhaps, a thousand times, 

 whether hard-coal ashes contain any plant-nutriment what- 

 ever. There are some gentlemen Avho have maintained that 

 they do ; but, although the question has been mooted a thou- 

 sand times, it is not yet settled. Half the people of Fitch- 

 burg, perhaps, think to-day that there is some little virtue in 

 the ashes of Lackawanna coal and the like. I should like to 

 have the professor tell us whether there is or not any- virtue* 

 in hnrd-coal ashes. 



Prof. GoESSMANN. Hard-coal ashes contain a trace of 

 lime, a trace of magnesia, and more or less oxide of iron and 

 silicate of alumina. So far as the quantity of plant-food in 

 hard-coal ashes is concerned, it does not amount to much. 

 The effect of coal ashes is mechanical ; it is an absorbent of 

 ammonia, and therefore may make a new soil somewhat more 

 retentive. There is scarcely a trace of potash in it. 



Col. Wilder. Don't you find coal ashes very useful on 

 •tiff soil ? 



Prof. GoESSMANN. Under certain circumstances it might 

 do. As a general rule, the heavy soils require the incorpora- 

 tion of dry organic substances, as turf, straw refuse, leaves, 



