SOME STATION INVESTIGATIONS IN FERTILIZERS 291 



of phosphoric acid, which would amount to an application of 67.5 pounds 

 of phosphoric acid for each 4,500 pounds of wood ashes, an amount equivalent 

 in what would be furnished by about 300 pounds of fine ground bone. Now 

 if the action of the ashes is based upon the combined manurial effect of the 

 potash and phosphoric acid, then 450 pounds of muriate of potash and 300 

 pounds of ground bone would be expected to exert an effect analagous to that 

 obtained from the wood ashes. As a matter of fact we believe that the farm- 

 ers of Rhode Island and many other parts of New England have obtained 

 results with wood ashes which are not due to, and which doubtless would not 

 be attainable, by the use of the quantities of muriate of potash and bone above 

 mentioned. It would appear to be equally unsatisfactory to attribute the 

 beneficial action of wood ashes solely to small quantities of magnesia, soda, 

 or whatever else they may contain, regardless of the lime. The experiments 

 thus far conducted at this Station, as well as others at Hope Valley and Wes- 

 terly, together with experiments by farmers in West Kingston, Usquepaugh, 

 and several other localities without the State, point strongly to the value of 

 lime on many soils; not only as direct plant food, but also in putting the soil 

 into a condition suitable for the growth of certain plants, and into such a 

 condition that the nitrogenous plant food stored up in the soil, as well as that 

 in organic nitrogen and ammonium sulphate employed, may exert its maxi- 

 mum effect. In this connection, also the well known value of lime in improv- 

 ing the physical condition of sandy as well as clayey soils should not go un- 

 mentioned. In other words, our experience and observation in this State 

 leads us to believe that the chief cause of the long continued after effect of 

 wood ashes is the lime which they contain and not the potash, as has been 

 heretofore generally supposed. Certainly if such is the case it behooves the 

 farmers of the State to try the lime experiment for the purpose of testing 

 this question, for the same amount of lime and other fertilizing elements 

 which wood ashes contain can be purchased in other, probably equally 

 effective, forms at a lower price. It will be evident from what 

 has just been said, that wood ashes contain but little phosphoric 

 acid, and it is also true that they contain no nitrogen. Therefore 

 if they are to be used on a rational and economical basis they must be supple- 

 mented by phosphatic and nitrogenous fertilizers. The following materials 

 used upon one acre would be about equivalent, so far as concerns potash, phos- 

 phoric acid and nitrogen, to one ton of fertilizer containing 10 per cent, of 

 potash, 6.5 per cent, of available phosphoric acid, and 4 per cent, of nitrogen: 



Wood ashes 4000 pounds 



Dissolved phosphate rock 1000 pounds 



Nitrate of soda 510 pounds 



