Feb. 2, 1872.] 323 [ Wood. 
on the 1st instant, at West Philadelphia, in the 62d year of 
his age, was announced by Mr. Fraley, with appropriate re- 
marks. On motion, Mr. Solomon W. Roberts was appointed 
to prepare an obituary notice of the deceased. 
The Committee to which was referred the paper and map 
of Mr. Lyman, on the Punjaub Oil Region, reported. in favor 
of its publication in the T ransactions. 
Mr. Lyman exhibited a large map of the region between 
Rawul Pindee and the Salt Range, published by the British 
Government, and described the zoological structure and 
mineralogy of the country. 
Dr. G. B. Wood, referring to his previous communications 
of the use of potash salts in agriculture, made some addi- 
tional remarks on that subject. 
Professor Cope offered for publication in the Proceedings 
a paper on “The Families of Fishes of the Cretaceous Form- 
ation of Kansas.” 
Pending nominations Nos. 689, 690 and 691 were read,, 
and the meeting was adjourned. 
Influence of Fresh Wood-Ashes on the Growth of Wheat, Potatoes, &c. 
By Dr. Grorce B. Woon. 
(Read before the American Philosophical Society, February 2d, 1872.) 
In a communication made to the Society at their meeting of January 
6th, 1871, in relation to the efficiency of fresh wood-ashes in the revival 
of prematurely failing fruit-trees, I took occasion to suggest that, upom 
the same principles, they might prove equally efficacious in preventing 
the failure or deficiency of the wheat crop, so common of late in the old 
settled parts of our country. The opinion was based on the large pro- 
portion of potassa found in the ashes of the wheat plant, when burned in 
the growing state; exceeding as it does twenty times that of common 
unleached ashes. Wheat, therefore, requires a very large relative pro- 
portion of the alkali for its growth, more than can be derived from an 
exhausted soil, even when aided by manure, which, though it contains a 
considerable quantity of the salts of potassa, cannot yield enough to the 
growing wheat to insure a large crop. But this was mere speculation, 
and the question could be decided only by experiment. Accordingly, as 
stated in my last communication, I selected an acre of ground, and divid- 
ing it into three parts, treated one with ashes alone, another with ashes 
