COMPOSITION AND USE OF DUTCH ASHES. 



35» 



Soluble salts 19 per cent. 



Insoluble matter 81 " 



100 

 and that which was dissolved by water consisted of 



Silica 



Chlorine . 

 Potash and soda 

 Sulphuric acid . 



35 per cent. 

 13 " 

 50 



2 « 



100 

 so that it was a mixture of soluble silicates and chlorides with a little 

 sulphate of potash and soda. These soluble silicates will find an easy 

 admission into the roots of plants, and will readily supply to the young 

 stems of the corn plants and grasses the silica which is indispensable^ to 

 their healthy growth. 



/. Turf or peat ashes^ obtained by the burning of peat of various 

 qualities, are also applied with advantage lo the land in many districts. 

 They consist of a mixture in which gypsum is usually the predominat- 

 ing useful ingredient — the alkaline salts being present in very small 

 proportion. Of ashes of this kind those made in Holland, and 

 generally distinguished by the name of Dutch ashes, are best known, 

 and have been most frecffently analyzed. The following table exhi- 

 bits the composition of some varieties of ashes from the peat of Hol- 

 land and from the heath of Luneburg, examined by Sprengel : — 

 Dutch Ashes (grey). 



quality. 



Sihca 47-1 



Alumina 45 



Oxide of Iron 66 



Do. of Manganese . ... 1-0 



Lime 13-6 



Magnesia 49 



Potash 02 



Soda 10 



Sulphuric Acid 7-2 



Phosphoric Acid .... 20 



Chlorine 12 



Carbonic Acid 4*1 



Charred Turf . . . .^ . 6-6 



Inferior 

 quality. 

 55-9 

 35 

 5-4 

 43 

 8-6 

 1-6, 

 0-2 

 3-9 



6-4 



0-8 



30 

 6.4 



Worst 

 quality. 

 70-4 

 41 

 41 

 0-2 

 6.1 

 3-9 

 01 

 0-4 



34 



13 



0-5 

 5-5 



1000 1000 1000 1000 1000* 



In the most useful varieties of these ashes it appears, from the above 

 analyses, that lime abounds — partly in combination with sulphuric and 

 phosphoric acids, forming gypsum and phosphate of lime — and partly 

 with carbonic acid, forming carbonate. These compounds of lime, 

 therefore, may be regarded as the active ingredients of peat ashes. 



* Sprent^el Lehre vom Dunger^ p. 363 e< *eq. 



