iLLii^ois STATE daieymen's ASSOCIATIOK. 39 



, upon his land lie obtained the very best results from ashes. 

 Ashes were rich in phosphoric acid and potash. It would 

 scarcely pay to send to New York for fertilizers when we 

 had so many at hand. Salt and barn-yard manure were 

 both good; as was hen-manure. His neighbor drew muck 

 and mixed salt and lime; put it on twenty acres of land; 

 got twenty-five bushels more corn per acre than when not 

 used; this year the result was not as good as last year. 

 To mix salt and lime with barn-yard manure, would be 

 fatal to all as a fertilizer. 



D. C. Scofield: Had had experience with ashes; paid 

 five dollars for four thousand bushels; put on poor 

 sandy soil and raised four tons of hay per acre Irom the 

 land. If we apply unleached ashes we must know the 

 soil. Barn-yard manure should not be allowed to leach in 

 the yard, or much of its value would be lost; thought the 

 best plan was to draw direct from barn to field when fresh, 

 thus saving the liquid portion of the manure, which is the 

 most valuable. 



Thomas Bishop wanted to know where we should all 

 go for ashes ; he made about two barrowfulls per year, but 

 it was oat of the question for all farmers, as a rule, to get 

 them ; we must have something else. 



Dr. Slade was of the same opinion; all could not get 

 them; he considered them good, but they could not be had. 

 Mr. Smith had used a large amount, but did not consider 

 them worth drawing. 



A. Smith said he had used five hundred or six hundred 

 bushels with very poor results. 



IProf. Morrow being called for, said : They were mak- 

 ing experiments at Champaign with various kinds of 

 fertilizers ; hoped before long that they could give the exact 

 results. We could not rely upon one test alone. We must 

 find exactly from what the benefit comes. In making 



