BULLETIN OF THE BUSSEY INSTITUTION. 389 
the table on pages 207-245 of this Bulletin, where (in column six 
of the table) are given a number of determinations of the proportion of 
salts soluble in water, or crude potashes, that have been obtained from 
the ashes of different kinds of woods by various experimenters. But 
since the figures given in that table do not usually represent the alkali- 
power of the ashes precisely, but only give a more or less vague approx- 
imation to it, I have myself had the actual alkali-power determined in 
a number of samples of wood-ashes obtained from household fires here 
in New England. That is to say, I have determined the power of 
neutralizing an acid that was possessed by the solutions (lyes) obtained 
when the ashes were carefully leached with water. The ashes thus 
examined were the samples that have been described already on page 
191 of this Bulletin, and the estimations of alkali-power now under 
discussion were made at the same time as the determinations given 
on page 193. ‘The results obtained were as follows: The alkalinity 
(column 3) being stated in terms of pure dry carbonate of potash 
(K,0, COs). 
ig 
27 
Be h tl h ers ef the ‘aalion Per cent of salts sol- 
Baie cerivct, | cousiued parte of |" ubla in water, t, 
& 5 equivalent. 
ef 
7 
I. | Soapboiler’s ashes . .| . 7.21—8.05 . . 9.40 — 10.80 
Il. Ditto al . 7.86 —8.24 . . 9.63 — 8.75 
iceaeweling-house .§...|. . 12.85... ie «39,87 
IV. Ditto fused AGE ey i a eae yf 
V. Ditto ded ACEP AR pees 4b 44.56 
3 Ditto ae? gh ek Le eae Ta 9 | 
VIL. Ditto SPs sas RE Ad WH ri ee 7s AS ko 
IX. Ditto Fe daa oe Lo See oe Ee.0e 
>. Ditto << e o Paella om 166 
XI. Ditto gal ena i Ria pith peels Haw: L628 
XIL. Ditto Se und < ee LOB beter ; a 10.65 
XII. Ditto ee RRA ed Wy Se, ee eee 10.75 
In each hundred pounds of the ashes there was found as much alkali 
as would be equivalent to the number of pounds of carbonate of potash 
