FERTILIZERS. 61 



Potash is a more lasting manure than some fertilizers, and does not wash so readily from 

 the soil; hence, ashes can be relied upon as a manure of considerable permanence, and have 

 long been, like barn-yard manure, one of the chief dependences of the farmer for feeding his 

 crops. The ashes of seaweed, and plants that grow near the sea, contain large quantities of 

 soda, while bone ashes consist mostly of phosphate of lime. 



Ashes are valuable for grass and various other crops, such as grains, potatoes, turnips, 

 clover, lucern, peas, beans, etc. When mixed with bone-dust they are said to be more valu 

 able for all root crops peas, beans, and clover. They may often supplement the use of sta 

 ble-manure, but cannot take the place of it, since stable-manure contains all the elements of 

 plant-food, and ashes do not. The quantity to be applied must depend upon the soil and the 

 kind of crop to be cultivated. Soils containing a large amount of potash will require less than 

 those not having a sufficient supply. As a general rule, light soils should have a smaller quan 

 tity, and rich, heavy clays a larger supply, but as the constituents of different soils differ so 

 greatly, the reverse will often prove true, and many light and dry soils be benefited to a greater 

 extent by their application than the heavy and damp. Experiment will be the surest guide 

 to the farmer. 



As to quantity, we have known some soils to be best benefited by about 50 bushels per 

 acre; others, to be equally benefited by from 10 to 15 bushels, the quantity to be used 

 entirely depending upon the nature of the soil. &quot;When used a long time without the applica 

 tion of an equal amount of vegetable or barnyard manure, they will exhaust the soil, manures 

 requiring a rotation, as well as crops. 



But they can be applied to grass lands for a longer period without injury to the soil, than 

 to tillaged lands. They should be sown broadcast, and well harrowed in to plowed lands. 



Ashes should be kept quite dry until used. They are valuable in reducing bones for 

 fertilizing purposes, and in composts. 



Leached Ashes are those from which the potash has been in a great measure extracted 

 in the form of ley, by water, and are composed of carbonate of lime, phosphate of lime, oxide 

 of iron, etc. They will furnish nearly as much phosphoric acid as unleached ashes, but only 

 a small amount of potash ; hence, while they are of some value for agricultural purposes, they 

 are not as valuable as the unleached, where potash is needed in the soil. They also furnish 

 a less amount of lime than the unleached. 



Coal Ashes have been known to benefit certain heavy soils by rendering them lighter 

 and more porous, but do not in themselves possess much value for fertilizing purposes, as will 

 be seen by reference to the table giving the analyses of various manures on a former page. 

 Their chief value is as a mulch when spread wide and thick enough to smother weeds and 

 grass. They are sometimes useful for spreading around the roots of young fruit-trees, for 

 reasons above given. &quot;When used as a fertilizer, and contain many cinders from not having 

 been thoughly burned, they would be injurious to light soils, though they might improve the 

 mechanical condition of such as are heavy and damp. 



Soot has long been valued as a top-dressing for cereal crops in the early stage of their 

 growth, and for grasses. It contains ammonia, charcoal, and other desirable fertilizing ingre 

 dients. It may be applied at the rate of from 15 to 50 bushels per acre. On light soils, the 

 addition of from 8 to 10 bushels of salt per acre is said to increase its good effect. Like 

 ashes, its best effect is not appreciable in a very dry season, moist weather being most desir 

 able for the application of either. It is often used mixed with absorbents like earth, marl, or 

 muck, which aid in preventing the escape of ammonia. It may be sown broadcast or in 

 trenches, and harrowed in. The mixture of salt and soot is said to be the most powerful of 

 all manures for carrots. 



