ASHES. 



ASHES. 



grains of the ashes from paring and burning a 

 chalk soil in Kent, yielded that great chemist 



80 grains of chalk, 

 11 gypsum, 

 9 charcoal, 

 15 oxide of iron, 



3 saline matter, consisting of sulphate of 

 potash, muriate of magnesia, and ve- 

 getable alkali, 

 82 alumina (clay), and silica (flint). 



According to the estimate of Mr. Boys, who 

 has published a treatise upon paring and burn- 

 ing, it appears that on the chalk soils of Kent, 

 about 2660 bushels of ashes are usually pro- 

 duced by paring and burning an acre of ground, 

 and thai this quantity of ashes, which he cal- 

 culates will weigh 172,900 Ibs., will contain 



Chalk - 



Gypsum 

 Oxide of iron 

 Saline matter 

 Charcoal 



- 69,160 Ibs. 



- 9,509 



- 12,967 



- 2,594 



- 7,781 



The second specimen of ashes was from a 

 soil at Colerton, in Leicestershire, composed 

 of three-fourths sand, one-fourth clay, and 

 about 4 per cent, of chalk. 



100 grains of the ashes yielded 



6 grains charcoal, 



3 common salt, sulphate of potash, and a 



trace of vegetable alkali, 

 9 oxide of iron, 

 82 sand, clay, and chalk. 



100 



The third variety of ashes was produced by 

 paring and burning a stiff clay soil at Mount's 

 Bay, in Cornwall. 



100 grains of these were found to contain 



8 grains of charcoal, 



2 common salt, and other saline matters, 



7 oxide of iron, 

 2 chalk, 



81 clay and sand. 



100 



Such are the ashes from paring and burning. 

 The cultivator of the soil will judge whether 

 any of these products are required by his land, 

 and whether all the good results of paring 

 and burning might not be generally obtained 

 by other means, without destroying that large 

 portion of the vegetable matters of the turf, 

 destroyed during combustion. In those cases, 

 however, where it is practicable to transfer the 

 ashes produced by paring and burning a chalk 

 soil to a clay, or, vice versa, the ashes of a clay 

 soil to a chalk, the result must, in general, be 

 highly and permanently beneficial to both. 



The Ashes of burnt Clay. The composition 

 of the ashes of burnt clay, although varying 

 according to the earthy proportions of the soil, 

 will be found pretty generally to accord with 

 the analysis of the ashes from the clay soil, 

 from Mount's Bay, given above under the head, 

 Paring and burning Ashes. Clay burning is 

 pmctised with decided success in manj' dis- 

 trljts of England, and, in every point of view, 

 is by far the most eligible mode of producing 

 ashes for manure ; for the soil of the field is 

 not thereby impoverished of its vegetable re- 

 mains, the clay which is burnt being generally 

 118 



procured from ditches, banks, hedgerows, &c. 

 The account of clay burning, given several 

 years since by General Vavasour, of Melbourne 

 Hall, in Yorkshire, is so practical and satisfac- 

 tory, that I cannot do better than quote his own 

 words: "I would recommend to a beginner, 

 that the kiln should be made small, about 

 three yards wide, and six yards long in the in- 

 side ; as he becomes more skilful, they may 

 be made larger. The walls of the kiln are to 

 be made of sods, two feet thick at the bottom, 

 and one foot thick at the top, leaving two flues 

 on each side, and one at each end, about one 

 foot square ; these walls may be built at first 

 four feet high. We then put in the wood, be- 

 ginning with the larger pieces at the bottom, 

 particularly near the flues, supported by sods 

 to keep them open, adding tops of firs, or any 

 brushwood, until the kiln is nearly filled. It 

 might be burnt with coal or peat, if more con- 

 venient. Cover the wood with a layer of clay 

 taken from some bank or ditch in the field, and 

 which has been digged sometime before to dry ; 

 it is not necessary that it should be very dry. 

 The fire is then to be lighted at the flue by 

 means of straw previously placed there. The 

 greatest care is required that the fire shall not 

 escape at the top; but fresh clay constantly 

 thrown on, wherever it seems likely to burn 

 out, at the same time not overloading the kiln, 

 so as to put out the fire. As the quantity of 

 clay is increased, the walls should be raised, 

 keeping them a foot higher than the clay. 

 About six feet will be as high as can be conve- 

 niently burned. The chief art seems to be, to 

 procure a great mass of fire at first, and to let 

 the fire rise through the clay as you go, to let it 

 smoke in every part at the top, but not to burn 

 out. My men, who burnt by contract, w,atch 

 the kilns by night and day. I have applied the 

 ashes almost exclusively for wheat, upon a clay 

 soil, spreading them on a fallow after the last 

 ploughing, and harrowing them in with the 

 seed, at the rate of 30 tons per acre, on 80 

 acres. The longer the ashes remain upon the 

 land, before harrowing, the better, that the 

 lumps may fall, and mix with the soil. If the 

 walls are well made, one end may be taken 

 down, and, after the kiln is emptied, rebuilt for 

 a second burning ; if not likely to stand, they 

 may be entirely burned in a succeeding kiln. 

 If the weather should not be moist, the kilns 

 will burn for some weeks, as the clay will con- 

 tinue hot long after the wood is consumed." 



Clay ashes have been used to a very con- 

 siderable extent by Mr. Hewitt Davis, of Spring 

 Park, near Croydon, on several of his farms, 

 and with the most decided success. This ex- 

 cellent farmer and land-agent has the clay dug 

 out in pits, that it may be more readily dried. 

 He burns in heaps ; and employs as fuel col- 

 lections of hedge-clippings, furze, &c.; and 

 these he thinks it best not to use i-n too dry a 

 state, since one great object in clay-burning, 

 he is of opinion, is to produce a steady moul- 

 dering heat, not too fast. A fire, therefore, 

 should not be suffered to flame. The fire in 

 the heaps usually works against the Avind, 

 when those heaps are properly made. He ap- 

 plies about 150 bushels of the ashes per acre; 

 pays Id. to l$d. per bushel for burning; dress- 



