362 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE, 



sent a pretty appearance from the start. When set out cut off 

 the tap roots, and all ragged spongioles, and never place manure 

 in close contact with the fibres. Protect the hedge for six years 

 from cattle and sheep, and be particular to keep the ground 

 thoroughly cultivated and enriched ; one year's neglect will 

 cause as many seeds of weeds to grow with the hedge as will 

 fully occupy the spare time of the planter ten years to eradicate. 



Mr. Carpenter advocated small inclosures, particularly for pas- 

 tures, and frequent change of stock from one to the other. 



Mr. Pell. — Although I have made an address upon fences, I 

 am not an advocate of them. I am opposed to all fences, and to 

 cattle running at large, except on the great prairies. Our fences 

 cost more than the national debt of Great Britain, and it is all 

 waste capital. In Germany the cattle are never allowed to run 

 at large upon the fields devoted to cultivation. Cows running 

 at large lose almost as much as they gain running over the fields. 



Dr. Trimble. — I look upon all fences as evils. I hear of orna- 

 mental fences, but I never saw one that I considered an orna- 

 ment to the farm. Much time and money has been spent in 

 Pennsylvania upon attempts to make thorn hedges, and have 

 been nearly all abandoned. The best fence is no fence. 



Adjourned. 



JOHN BRUCE, Secretary pro tern. 



February 25, 18 01. 

 Present, 100 members. Mr. R. L. Pell in the chair. 



BURNING or ASHES. 



Mr. Robinson, in behalf of a correspondent, suggested the ques- 

 tion, — What is lost by suffering ashes to remain in stoves to burn 

 over and over for ten or twelve days ? 



Dr. Waterbury said that it seemed possible to burn ashes too 

 much, because the action of the fire might render insoluble a 

 certain portion of the saline matters which were before soluble. 

 Glass is composed of the same materials as ashes, the salts being 

 rendered insoluble by heat. 



Mr. Carpenter inquired whether, in reducing two bushels of 

 ashes to one by burning, the one bushel would not be as valuable 

 as one bushel before burning, or even more valuable. 



Dr. Waterbury said that he had been asked by a scientific 

 gentleman what became of the potash in burning charcoal. He 



