744 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. IT 



From the Edinburgh Farmers' Magazine. 

 ON THE USE OF SOAP-MAKERs' WASTE ASHES, 

 COMMOHLY CALLED SOAPERS' WASTE, AS A 

 MANURE. 



Drawn up by order of the Board of Agriculture, and published 

 by its direction. 



Tiitroduction. — The Board of Agriculture hav- 

 ing (bund, upon inquiry, that the produce of soap- 

 makers' waste ashes, in London and its immediate 

 neighborhood alone, amounts to above 20,000 tons 

 per annum, and is likely to increase, more espe- 

 cially from the use of kelp having been lately in- 

 troduced into the London market, which furnishes 

 a greater quantity of refuse ashes; and being con- 

 vinced, from the most accurate information, and 

 the experience of many of its members, that this 

 quantity of valuable manure, if brought into more 

 general use than has hitherto been the case, 

 would be an object of considerable importance to 

 the national agriculiure, are desirous of' giving all 

 the publicity possible to a circumstance so well 

 deserving the attention of farmers, gardeners, hop- 

 planters, nurserymen and others employed in the 

 cultivation of the soil, more especially those in the 

 neighborhood of the meiropolis, and on the bor- 

 ders of the navigations therewith connected; and, 

 with that view, have resolved to circulate the flil- 

 lowing observations, collected from the best infor- 

 mation which it has hitherto been in the power 

 of the board to obtain. 



Sort of ash. — The great distinction to be found 

 in soap-ashes, depends upon the sort of alkaline 

 salt used by the soap-boiler. When kelp and ba- 

 rilla are the materials, the ashes are found to be 

 more than twice as strong and effective as a ma- 

 nure, than such as are the refuse of common 

 potash; and to this circumstance may be attri- 

 buted, not only the diflerent quantities per acre 

 that are recommended, but also the different re- 

 sults which have attended the use of this dress- 

 ing in different parts of the kingdom, and any fail- 

 ures which may have taken place. The ashes to 

 be procured at London are all made from barilla 

 and kelp. 



j/nalysls. — Mr. Davy analyzed two specimens 

 of soapers' waste (sent him by Mr. Hawes), in 

 the laboratory of the Royal Institution, and the 

 following was the result. 



The waste from barilla gave, in ICO parts, — 

 Of carbonate of lime, about 76 ) 



Of quick-lime, about 

 Total calcareous matter, 

 Of gypsum, about 

 Of common salt 

 Of carbonate of soda 



15 



-91 parts. 

 5 



n 



u 



The waste from kelp, in 100 parts, gave about 

 94 of calcareous matter, in the same state as 

 that from barilla ; about three of gypsum, and one 

 and a half ol' soluble saline matter, containinir, 

 apparently, nearly the same proportions of carbo- 

 naie of soda, and of common salt, as in the for- 

 mer instance. 



It is obvious, from the chemical nature of soap- 

 ers' waste, that it will be applicable wherever cal- 

 careous matter is wanted in lands, and that it will 

 serve the purposes of liming. 



The small quantity of alkaline salt and of gyp- 

 sum that it contains, will likewise render it 

 much superior to common calcareous matter, as a 

 top-dressing lor every kind of grass. 



It seems probable, that these ashes will be 

 found of most benefit on soils that abound largely 

 with undecomposed vegetable substances, upon 

 which the alkaline salt will act powerfully. Char- 

 coal also, wherever found, may be rendered mis- 

 cible with water, which will produce a considera- 

 ble effect. The ashes proving highly beneficial 

 on peat-moss, and on low spongy meadows, 

 seems to be a confirmation of this fact. On cal- 

 careous soils they may not produce an equal re- 

 sult, as one third of the mass of these ashes is 

 composed of lime. They can scarcely be recom- 

 mended on dry burning sands. 



Such farmers as are in the habit of making com- 

 posts, will probably use these ashes as a material 

 in forming the heaps ; and so far as earth is con- 

 cerned, there can be no objection to ihe practice ; 

 but, in respect of dung, it may admit a doubt. In 

 proportion to the quantity of alkaline matter left in 

 the ashes, it will tend to shorten the duration of 

 the effect of the dung ; and as the addition of 

 ashes will render stirring and mixinff necessary, it 

 merits consideration, whether the better system be 

 not to use these manures separately. It seems 

 advisable, in the application of these ashes to 

 arable crops, to sow and harrow them in previous- 

 ly to sowing the seed, which will prevent the ac- 

 tion of any acrid or caustic quality on the germi- 

 nation of the young plants. The same circum- 

 stance will point out the autumn as the proper , , 

 season for applying them on grass lands, though j I 

 experiments may be tried with them early in 1 

 spring. Mr. Hawe?, from the information which 

 he has received, particularly from Liverpool,^ 

 where thej' are eatjerly sousht after, stales, that 

 they are mixed with pond, ditch, and river mud, 

 and used in about four months. This also agrees 

 with the practice of Robert Thornton, Esq. of 

 Clapham, who has used them about four years, 

 and has thereby greatly improved a very sour 

 pasture. In Cheshire they plough them into the 

 land ; but an Essex farmer remarks, that these 

 ashes are of so heavy a quality, that the tillage 

 should be shallow. 



Effcci. — In Surrey, these ashes have been found 

 infallibly to kill insects, ( Malcolrn's Comp. vol. ii. 

 p. 17.3.) The eflect of these ashes admirable 

 both on grass and arable (//dani's Essay on yJgri- 

 culture, vol. i. p. 167.) Destroys slugs and ver- 

 min of every description (Museum Jiusticitm.) 

 Mr. Mansfield, near Epping, on a poor sour pas- 

 ture that would not mow, nor would stock eat 

 it, four wagon-loads per acre effected a total 

 change ; soil strong, wer, and heavy (Essex Rep. 

 vol. u. p. 246.) Mr. Sherwood, of Abbots-Lang- 

 ley, Herts, has used these ashes with very great 

 success mixed in composts. They are very ser- 

 viceable in new plantations, particularly where 

 the soil is cold. A noble lord, a member of the 

 Board of Agriculture, possesses a grass field in 

 Wiltshire, which was manured with soap-ashes 

 near twenty years ago, and the improvement was 

 very sreat, and has continued so ever since. Tivo 

 priucinal farmers near Ealing, Mr. Thorne and 

 Mr. Knivptt, have tised them lor many years lor 

 arable land, with great success and advantage. 

 Robert Thornton, Esq. of Clapham, in some ex- 

 periments amounting to seven acres, (bund that 

 these ashes added a load of hay per acre to the 

 crop. The Marquis of Abercorn's bailifl' sayp, 

 his lather alway-^ considered one load of soap- 



