1868, 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



455 



LEACHED ASHES AS A FERTILIZER. 



A very considerable portion of the ashes 

 made in New England is purchased by the 

 agents of soap-boilers, and passes through the 

 process of leaching before it is used as a fer- 

 tilizer. As they come from the factory "they 

 are a mixture of a peculiar description ; prin- 

 cipally the insoluble portion of the barilla, 

 potashes or kelp, employed in soap-making, 

 mixed with cinders, lime, salt, and other oc- 

 casional additions ; and also with muriate of 

 potash, common salt, and other saline mat- 

 ters." The insoluble portion of barilla — [ba- 

 rilla is the Spanish name of a seashore plant 

 from which soda is made] — consists princi- 

 pally of lime, charcoal, sand', and the rust of 

 iron. Arthur Young recommended the use 

 of 60 bushels per acre, and described the im- 

 mediate effects as very great. 



A plain, sensible farmer of England gave 

 Dr. Cogan his opinion of the value of soap 

 ashes in the following letter : — 



"My opinion of soaper's ashes is confined to the 

 application of it as a top-dressing on pasture land. 

 About twelve years ago I agreed with a soap boiler 

 for 1500 tons of soaper's ashes. I used to apply 

 about twenty wagon loads per acre, and a single 

 bushing would let the whole in. I was laughed at 

 and abused for my folly ; the wise-acres alleging 

 that my land would be burned up for years, and 

 totally ruined ; all which I disregarded, and applied 

 my soaper's ashes every day in the year, reeking 

 from the vat, without any mixture whatever. 



"I tried six acres mixed up with earth; but I 

 found it was only doing things by halves. My 

 land never burned, but from the time of the ap- 

 plication, became of a dark green color, bordering 

 upon black, and has given me more, but never 

 less than two tons per acre, ever since." 



For the New England Farmer. 

 PRODUCER AND CONSUMER. 



I see a great deal in the papers about the 

 high price of goods, — articles of food es- 

 pecially, — in the cities ; and being in the 

 "trade" myself, I would like to say a few 

 words on this subject. 



I belive the great trouble to lie in the "hand- 

 to-mouth system." It would be much to the 

 advantage of the consumer to buy in larger 

 quantities, and just as well for the merchant, 

 though all will sell much cheaper in this way. 

 And instead of goods going through two or 

 three hands, let the consumer buy direct from 

 the former or country merchant, — it matters 

 but little which, — as it will come at the same 

 price, as most of the country merchants ex- 

 change other goods for produce, which they 

 sell for cash without profit, at their stores. If 

 sent to market, they pay a commission of five 

 per cent, for selling, and perhaps by the time 

 the consumer gets the article there have been 

 several other profits made on it. 



The cost of getting a pound of • butter or a 

 dozen of eggs to market is about two cents, 

 unless sent in lai^e quantities ; while, by the 

 retail market rates, 1 judge that a profit of 

 twenty per cent. , and often higher, is paid by 

 the consumer. As direct trade as possible 

 between producer and consumer would be to 

 the advantage of both. Nor do I think such 

 a system would be much opposed by country 

 merchants, for if the farmers sell their produce 

 for cash at good prices, they will trade all the 

 more, and it will save the traders here the 

 trouble of handling goods on which they never 

 make any great profit. 



I would like to hear the opinion of traders 

 and farmers on this subject. Crops of all 

 kinds are very good in this section. 



T. P. Bailey 



Newbury Centre, Vt., Aug., 1868. 



Remarks. — Although the foregoing com- 

 munication has very much the appearance of a 

 business circular, we cheerfully give it a place 

 in our reading columns, because it suggests 

 a plan by which the consumer may possibly 

 avoid the profits of one or more middle men, — 

 a feature that is often entirely wanting in the 

 writings of those who complain of our market 

 system. Now, if Mr. Bailey will reduca his 

 theory or plan to practice; if by employing 

 "runners" or "drummers" to take the orders 

 of the city consumers, as our merchants keep 

 this class of men in the country, or if he can 

 attain the same object by other and simpler 

 means, he may greatly extend his business 

 with profit to himself and with benefit to those 

 who live "from hand to mouth," provided that 

 in the practical running of his machine, he can 

 dispense with a feV of the "wheels within a 

 wheel" that now interpose between the pro- 

 ducer and consumer. Of the probability of 

 his being able to effect this, our readers can 

 judge as well as ourselves. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 HOW TO PAY FOR A FARM. 

 When so much is said against running in 

 debt for a farm, it is refreshing to read instan- 

 ces like those recently narrated in the Far- 

 mer, where that responsibility has been boldly 

 assumed and finally successfully discharged. 

 Such instances of success show that there are 

 men who still have faith in the profitableness 

 of farming, and confidence in their own abili- 

 ties. They further show that success does not 

 depend entirely upon the possession of an 

 unusual amount of physical strength, nor upon 

 a lengthy experience. Indeed some of the 

 most encouraging examples are those of mi n 



