LEACHED AND UNLEACHED ASHES. 141 



and material of that kind, because, by their shrinkage, they 

 render those soils porous, less retentive. 



Mr. Hubbard. Would not sand do just as well? 



Prof. GoESSMANN. Undoubtedly, saud in clay soil would 

 be an improvejnent, as it breaks up the retentive qualities of 

 the soil, and renders it porous, permeable. A certain amount 

 of sand is, in many respects, a great improvement to clay 

 soil. 



Col. Wilder. I think any gentleman, who will make the 

 experiment, upon clayey, stiff, moderately strong soil, of 

 planting a row of trees, without manure, in anthracite coal 

 ashes, will satisty himself that he has not only improved his 

 trees, but also his land. He will jSnd a very fine growth. 



Question. What is the relative value of leached and un- 

 leached ashes on soils ? 



Prof. GoESSMANN. The potash is extracted from leached 

 ashes ; they are worth something, but not by any means as 

 much as unleached ashes, so far as the potash is concerned. 

 If you want phosphoric acid alone, leached ashes would do 

 as well as unleached ; but, if you want potash and phosphoric 

 acid, I should prefer to pay double the price for unleached 

 ashes. It depends entirely upon what you want to apply to 

 your soil. 



Mr. Graves. I did not propose to take the time of this 

 meeting, but I am so well pleased with Dr. Loring's remarks, 

 they were so truthful, so fair, and so accordant with my own 

 experience, that I must say a few words. I have experi- 

 mented somewhat in the way he has suggested. I have sev- 

 eral acres of land that have not been ploughed since 1837. 

 I have a laro^e muck-bed accessible, the bottom of it beins: 

 hard almost as stone. Since 1837, I have drawn my manure 

 to that muck-bed and mixed it at the rate of two load of 

 muck to one of manure. I shovel that over two or three 

 time previous to planting. I have applied this compost to 

 this land for thirty-six years in succession, and I have got 

 two crops from it every year without exception, usually cut- 

 ting, the first time, fully two tons to the acre of first quality 

 of hay, and about one ton the second time. I have tried it 

 on heavy land and find that it is of no use ; it is lost and 

 worse than lost. I have tried it in its raw state, and, thus 



