m 



NEW EJfGLAND FARMER, 



SEPT. at, 18t'». 



From Dr. Dana's Muck Manual. 



ASHES AS MANURE. 

 The value of ashes in agriculture, depends upon 

 its being a combination of salts, derived from plants, 

 all of jvhich have a powerful and decidedly bene- 

 ficial effect. The question is often asked, what is 

 the relative value of spent or leached and unleach- 

 ed ashes ? It may be answered by reference to 

 the analysis of sslies. 



Burning reduces these constituents to two classes 

 — ashes and volatile salts. The last are found in 

 soot. The ashes are formed of salts and silicates. 

 These vary iu quantity and quality, not only in dif- 

 ferent plants, but, as is well known, in different 

 parts of the same plant. Let us take oak, beech, 

 basswood, birch, as the types of the composition of 

 hard wood ashes, yellow pine (pinus (xbiesj as the 

 type of soft wood ashes; and wheat straw as the 

 type of the ashes of the grasses. 



The average quantity of ashes from 100 parts of 

 dry oak, beech, birch, &c., is 3.67. Ashes are di- 

 vided by the simple process of leaching, into two 

 parts, soluble and insoluble in water. 100 parts of 

 hard wood ashes thus afford — soluble, 13.57 ; insol- 

 uble, 86.43. 

 100 parts of the soluble contain; 



Carbonic acid, 22.70 



Sulphuric acid, 6.43 



Muriatic acid, 1.82 



Silex, .95 



Potash and soda, 67.96 



99.86 



100 parts of the insoluble contain; 



Carbonic acid, 35.80 



Phosphoric acid, 3.40 



Silex, 4.25 



Oxide of iron, .52 



Oxide of manganese, 2.15 



Magnesia, 3.55 



Lime, 35.80 



Pine, (pinus abies) — 100 parts dry wood afford 

 only .0083 of ashes ; of which 100 parts afford so- 

 luble, 50; insoluble, 50. 



100 parts of the soluble contain : 



Carbonic acid, 13.50 



Sulphuric acid, 6.90 



Silex, 2. 



Potash and soda, 69.70 



Water, 7.90 



Peat ashes abound in carbonate, sulphate and 

 especially phosphate of lime. Free alkali may be 

 always traced in peat ashes ; but alkali exists in it 

 rather as a silicate, as in leached ashes. Anthra- 

 cite coal ashes contain carbonate of lime, alumina, 

 and oxide of iron. It is good so far as these 

 abound. 



The above are calculated on the analyses of 

 Berlheir, who has detected soda in the ashes of 

 many plants. The elements are stated singly; 

 because we have thus at one view, the amount of 

 each, and it is the base chielly which acts. The 

 agricultural value of ashes may be determined by 

 reference to these tables. In what state these ele- 

 ments may be combined in plants, we can only de- 

 termine theoretically. Thus the phosphoric acid, 

 by its affinities, would he united in the hard woods 

 as above, with the liuie and iron, forming in each 

 100 parts of the insoluble portion of ashes, phos- 

 phate of lime, 5.40; phosphate of iron, 1.86. 



'I'he composition of the insoluble part of ashes 

 gives nearly the constituents of leached ashes. If 

 the soapboiler's process was as perfect as that 

 which the chemist employs, still his leached ashes 

 would show more lime than the above tables, be- 

 cause he always employs a portion of lime to make 

 his ley caustic. This is a variable portion; what- 

 ever it is, it adds so much to the value of the leach- 

 ed ashes. Besides the soapmaker always leaves a 

 portion of alkali, which is combined with the silex. 

 Exposure to air decomposes this, and then the alka- 

 li can be extracted by water. This is one great 

 source of the active power of leached ashes. 



A bushel of good ashes contains about 5 1-2 lbs. 

 of real potash. In leaching ashes, generally about 

 one peck of lime is added to each bushel of ashes, 

 and as it loses no bulk during the operation, a cord 

 of leached ashes contains about the following pro- 

 portions, allowing the usual proportion to be leach- 

 ed out, or 4 1-2 lbs. 



Phosphoric acid, 117 lbs. 



Silex, 146 " 



Oxide of iron, 17 " 



" of manganese, 51 " 



Magnesia, 119 " 



Carbonate of lime, including that ad- 

 ded in leaching, 3072 " 



Potash combined with silica, .50 " 



Spent ashes, therefore, belong to the class of 

 carbonatfs. 



100. 



Wheat straw_100 parts yield .044 of ashes; 



100 parts of which afford, soluble, 19; insoluble, 

 81. 



100 parts of the soluble contain : 



Sulphuric acid, 0.2 



Muriatic acid, ]3. 



Silex, 35.6 



Potash and soda, 50. 



STALL FEEDING. 

 Dirtdions to Stall-feed Cattle — read before the Phil- 

 adelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, June 

 1, 1842, ly Janus Mease, M. D, Vice President. 



1. The subjects on which it is intended to lay 

 an extra proportion of fat, must be in good condi- 

 tion when put up — otherwise they will not pay for 

 the cost, feed and care. 



2. Give one handful of fine salt three times 

 weekly to each beast. 



3. The hay must be of the first cutting, (if clo- 

 ver) and well cured — that is, not left before cut- 

 ting in the field, until the stems are deprived of all 

 nutritious moisture, the leaves and blossoms turned 



black, and when cut, turned day after day in mak- 

 ing, until they fall off from age, and exposure to 

 the sun, and probably a rain or two. These conse- 

 quences (the last excepted) are the invariable re- 

 sult of sowing timothy with ch)ver seed; for the 

 first grass does not attain its full growth until two 

 weeks after the latter is fully ripe, and farmers al- 

 most always refuse to cut the crop until timothy is 

 fit to mow. The union of orchard grass with clo- 

 ver, does not admit of the objections to which the 

 first combination is liable, for both progress equal 

 to maturity, and if cut when in full blossom, and 

 not kept too long in the field, make a hay which 

 cannot be exceeded. Hay should be given thrice 

 daily, and no niorer put in the rack at a time, than 

 the animals will ent before their next allowance, as 

 they become fastidious by confinement, and will re- 

 fuse their hay upon which thty have often breathed, 

 and which is also impregnated with the confined 

 air of the stable. At night, enough must be given 

 to last until the morning, and the remains of the 

 former supply at all times taken away, to give place 

 to a fresh one, 



4. Water is to be given twice a day, and, if con- 

 venient, the animals may be walked to the spring, 

 creek, or pump. The exercise will amuse them, 

 promote their appetites, and aid of course the ob- 

 ject in view. 



.5. Afler their hay is eaten, give from 10 to 16 

 quarts of Indian corn and oats ground together, to 

 each head three times daily during ten days ; then 

 half a peck of boiled mashed potatoes, with a hand- 

 ful of corn meal sprinkled over them. The water 

 in which the potatoes have been boiled must be 

 thrown away, as I know it to be hurtful to animals. 

 In a week, a change may be made of chopped 

 pumpkins, or sliced Swedish turnips, or sugar beet 

 for the potatoes. The new food will invariably 

 encourage appetite, unless in the event of any 

 aversion to some one article, for which no caust 

 can be assigned. Indian corn meal, with or with 

 out oats, must be the never-failing accompanimen 

 of any other food. 



6. Great care must be taken to watch the appe 

 tites of the animal, so as never to cloy it ; other 

 wise time will be lost. He must on no account bt 

 over-fed — and to avoid this, during the occurrence 

 of an increase of temperature in the air (or "i 

 warm spell") which takes place almost every win 

 ter, the usual allowance must be diminished. Tht 

 farmer should take the alarm the hour that he scef 

 the animal leave any of his usual allowance in the 

 trough or rack, clean out both, and by a daily walk 

 extra carding, and, if necessary, a dose of Glaubei 

 salts, try to restore the appetite. 



7. The food, other than hay, should be given ir 

 a box and in the trough alternately, which shoult 

 be daily washed or dry scrubbed, and scraped, tc 

 prevent the remains of a former mess from turning 

 sour, which will infallibly disgust the ox. This 

 was the uniform practice of that first rate farmer, 

 Joseph Cooper, of New Jersey, who urged its adop- 

 tion upon the writer, as one with the importance ol 

 which his own ample experience had fully im- 

 pressed him. 



8. Flax-seed jelly, with corn meal, is of service 

 occasionally to soften and loosen the skin, and pro- 

 duce that "kindly feel" in it which the great Eng- 

 lish improver, Bakewell, ranked as an essential 

 point in the choice and feeding of cattle ; meaning 

 thereby a " mellow, soft feel, yet firm to the touch, 

 and which is equally distant from the hard dry skin 



