ASHES. 



tons an acre, its effects have been 

 oljscived to continue for tiftecn or 

 twenty years. It is most bcnelicial 

 upon clay soils, and is said especial- 

 ly lo promote the growtli of oats. 



Kelp is the name given to the ash 

 left by sea-weeds when burned. As 

 a natural mixture, which can be ob- 

 tained at a cheap rate, and has been 

 proved to be useful to vegetation in 

 a high degree, it is very desirable 

 that accurate experiments should be 

 instituted with the view of determin- 

 ing the precise extent of its action, 

 as well as the crops and soils to which 

 it can be most advantageously and 

 most economically applied. 



Like wood ashes, kelp varies in 

 composition with the species and age 

 of the sea-weeds from which it is 

 prepared, and like them also, it con- 

 sists of a soluble and insoluble por- 

 tion. Two samples, analyzed by Dr. 

 Ure, consisted of 



Soiuhie I'orliuH. 



CarbonaTe of Soda, with 

 Sulpliuret orSudrnm \ 

 Sulphate of Soda . 

 Ciiiiimon S.ilt . . I 

 Chloride of Potassium I 



Insoluble Portion. 



Carbonate of Lime 

 Silica . . . . 

 Alumina and Cxide of j 

 Iron , . . j 

 Gypsum 

 Sulphur and loss 



Heisker. 



Rona. 



Normandy. 

 Gav Lus^ac. 



C .WO 

 •150 



Besides these constituents, how- 

 ever, the soluble portion contains io- 

 dide of potassium or sodium in va- 

 riable quantity, and the insoluble 

 more or less of potash and soda in 

 the state of silicates and phosphates. 



Kelp may be applied to tlie land in 

 nearly the same circumstances as 

 wood ash, but for this purpose it 

 would probably be bettor to burn the 

 sea-weed at a lower temperature than 

 is usually employed. By this means, 

 being prevented from melting, it 

 would be obtained at once in the 

 slate of a fine powder, and would be 

 richer in potash and soda. 



It might lead to important results 

 of a practical nature were a series of 

 preci.se experiments made with this 

 finely-divided kelp as a manure, es- 

 pecially in inland situations ; for 



though the variable proportion of its 

 constituents will always cause a de- 

 gree of uncertainty in regard to tlie 

 action of tlie ash of marine plants, 

 yet if the quantity of chloride of po- 

 tassium it contains be, on an average, 

 nearly as great as is stated above in 

 the analysis of Gay Lussac, kelp will 

 really be the cheapest form in which 

 we can at present apply potash to the 

 land. 



Stiaif Ashes. — The ashes obtained 

 by burning the straw of oats, barley, 

 wheat, and rye contain a natural 

 mixture of saline substances, which 

 is exceedingly valuable as a manure 

 to almost every crop. The propor- 

 tion of the several constituents of 

 this mixture, however, is different, 

 according as the one or the other 

 kind of straw is burned. Thus, 100 

 parts of each variety of ash, in the 

 samples analyzed by Sprengel, con- 

 sisted of 



0.it.»., Barley. : Wheat. Ilj e. 



Potash 

 Soda . . 

 Lime . 

 Magnesia 

 Silica . 

 Alumina 

 O.xide of Iron 

 Oxiile of Manga- } 

 ne.-'e . . 5 



Phosphoric Acid 

 .Sulphuric Arid . - 

 Chlorine 

 Carbonic Acid . 



1.^- 



trace 



2-6 



0-1 



80-0 



0-1 



trace 



trace 



0-2 

 1.4 



0-1 



3 







10 



1 



7.3- 



2 

 



0-3 



S-l 



0-6 

 08 

 6-8 

 0-9 



4-8 

 I-O 

 0-9 



1--' 

 0-1 

 li-4 

 0-1 



Si-: 



0-9 



1-8 

 6-1 

 O-fi 



H.ipe. 



lb-8 



11-i 



16-9 



31 



2-1 



2-3 



9-9 

 l:!-3 

 11-4 

 11-0 



100 



The most striking differences in 

 the above table are the comparative- 

 ly large quantity of potash in the oat 

 straw ; of lime in that of barley ; of 

 phosphoric acid in that of wheat ; of 

 sulphuric acid in that of rye, and 

 of all the saline substances in rape 

 straw. These difTerences are not to 

 be considered as constant, nor will 

 the numbers in any of the above col- 

 unms represent correctly the com- 

 position of the ash of any variety of 

 straw we may happen to burn, but 

 they may be safely depended upon as 

 showing the general composition of 

 such ashes, as well as the general 

 differences which may be expected 

 to prevail among them. 



That such ashes should prove use- 

 ful to vegetation might be inferred, 

 not only from their contaming many 



43 



