62 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



Charcoal Dust, when applied as a top-dressing to lands, serves to condense ammo 

 nia, nitric acid, and the gases of the atmosphere. It has an extraordinary capacity for absorb 

 ing gases, and is said by reliable authority to absorb ninety times its bulk of ammoniacal gas. 

 It renders soils warmer by absorbing the sun s rays, and also serves to check rust in wheat, 

 and mildew in other crops. 



Peat is used for agricultural purposes principally for making composts, and as an 

 absorbent of other manures. Dried peat is valuable for absorbing the liquid manures of sta 

 bles. As it contains from 75 to 90 per cent, of water in its natural state, it should be dug 

 and exposed to the atmosphere several months before being used for this purpose. 



It varies in quality according as it is mixed more or less with the soil, some being much 

 more rich in ammonia than others. 



Peat Ashes were at one time highly recommended for their value as a manure, both 

 when applied alone, and as aft absorbent of night-soil, sewage-water, the liquid manure of 

 stables, etc. 



It should first be dried thoroughly. It has been proved by Dr. Anderson of Scotland 

 that peat, when well dried, is a better absorbent and retainer of ammonia than after it has 

 been charred. 



In reclaiming peat soils farmers frequently burn the peat and spread the ashes over the 

 beds from which the peat was taken. 



Sea- Weed. To those farmers living within convenient distance of the sea-shore, a 

 valuable manure can be obtained from the drifted sea-weed. It is often thrown upon the 

 sandy coast by the waves in large quantities, and can easily be raked up and carried away 

 after the tide has receded. 



It is frequently used as a bedding for cattle, and makes a valuable addition to the com 

 post heap. In England it is frequently applied as a top-dressing to grass and clover. It may 

 be plowed into the soil in the spring with a shallow furrow, three or four inches, and is valu 

 able for most crops, especially grain, which it is said to produce of a very fine quality. It is 

 also said to be highly valuable in the cultivation of potatoes. Large quantities are recom 

 mended in using. 



Ashes of Sea-Weed. As sea-weed is quite bulky, and is sometimes inconvenient to 

 remove to a distance, it is often burned where gathered, and the ashes saved for agricul 

 tural purposes. These ashes contain soda, potash, and other fertilizing substances. The 

 ashes of sea- weed are known under the names of kelp, barilla, and varec. In Sicily, Spain, 

 and some other countries, the ashes of marine plants, called barilla, were used for making 

 soap. Kelp and varec are terms applied to the ashes of sea-weed made from the algae and 

 fuci species, which grow upon rocks in great abundance on a large portion of the coast of 

 Great Britain and some other countries. The sea- weeds are dried and burned in large ovens, 

 twenty-four tons of the sea-weed being required to produce one ton of kelp. This is at pres 

 ent the principal material from which iodine is obtained. The name for sea-weed ashes issued 

 in France is varec. 



From the above it will be readily seen that sea-weed ashes have alkaline properties that 

 may be valuable as a fertilizer of the soil. 



Marl is soil containing clay, carbonate of lime, sand, and sometimes sulphate and phos 

 phate of lime, differing in its composition in different localities, some containing more or less 

 of these ingredients than others. It is often applied to lands to increase their fertility, the 

 lime it contains being the most essential element. When it is found in the proximity of, or 

 lying under sandy or peaty soils, its application in large quantities is attended with the best 

 effects. 



