On Paring and Burning. 365 



Composition of Vefjetahle Ashes from a Field in the neighbourhood of 

 Cirencester. 



Moisture and orp;anic matter 9-12 



Oxides of iron and alumina 14"56 



Carbonate of lime 17'17 



Sulphate of lime 1'73 



Magnesia *40 



Chloride of sodium 'OS 



Chloride of potassium '32 



Potash 1-44 



Phosphoric acid • .. .. l'S4 



equal to bone-earth (3"98) 



Soluble silica (soluble in potash) 8'70 



Insoluble siHcious matter 44*64 



100-00 



A comparison of these analytical results with the analysis of 

 the preceding' ashes shows, amongst other things : — 



1. That the former ashes contain much less phosphoric acid 

 and less potash. And as the value of ashes as manure depends 

 principally on these two constituents, a bushel of the last- 

 meiTtioncd ashes may be worth 2 or 2h bushels of the first. 



2. There is much less burnt clay in the second ashes, which 

 accounts for the very much larger proportion of phosphoric acid 

 and potash. 



3. Both kinds contain a good deal of gypsum, and (especially 

 the latter) much carbonate of lime. The large proportion of 

 lime in these ashes is, no doubt, in great measure due to the 

 calcareous character of the soils in our neighbourhood. 



As just mentioned, in the latter ashes there was not so much 

 burnt soil as in the former. 



They may indeed be called, with propriety, vegetable ashes 

 with some burnt soil, and the former, with equal reason, burnt» 

 clay with some vegetable ashes. 



Ox THE Relative Advantage of Farmyard-Manure, Arti- 

 ficials, AND Vegetable Ashes produced by Paring and 

 Burnin'g. 



It remains for me now to offer some remarks on the economy of 

 paring and burning in comparison with the direct supply ot farm- 

 yard-manure or artificial fertilizers, and also to state the reasons 

 why I believe that on certain soils paring and burning is almost the 

 only means of gettmg a good crop of turnips ; and lastly, to show 

 how it is that on such soils the best manures often do no good 

 v/hatever, or even do harm. 



In the first place I would observe that an average quantity of 

 red vegetable ashes produced from one acre of ground contains a 



