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sold are of a soft kind, such as fodder crops, beet, carrots, 

 cabbages, turnips, onions, potatoes, tobacco, or where straw is 

 systematically sold, that the need of potash manures becomes 

 felt in course of time and these are best applied in the form 

 of ashes. Sun-flower stalks, pea and bean stalks and maize 

 andjuar stalks being particularly rich in potash, these should 

 not be neglected but carefully put in manure heaps in their 

 bulky state or converted into ashes and the ashes applied 

 to land mixed up with dung and other vegetable manure as 

 compost. 17 to 2olbs. of potash can be obtained from 1000 Ibs. 

 of dry sun-flower, pea, bean,/2/#r or maize stalks. 



912. Potash accumulates more in the extremities of 

 plants, i.e., green leaves and twigs, than elsewhere. 1000 Ibs. 

 of wood contains only \ Ib. to ii Ibs. of potash. Ordinary 

 cereal straw though rich in potash contains it chiefly in the 

 form of silicate of potash which is not readily soluble in 

 water. The ashes of ordinary cereal straws are therefore 

 not such good potash manures as ashes of maize stalks, 

 sun-flower stalks and leguminous crop straws. Tobacco 

 stems divested of leaves are extremely rich in potash. The 

 dessicated stalks contain about 5 per cent, of K.,0, -fa per 

 cent, of PgOs and 3^ percent, of N r of which i per cent, is in 

 the form of nitrate. The refuse tobacco stalks and midribs 

 are therefore a high class fertilizer and may be looked upon as 

 a special potash-manure and also as a general manure. Ashes 

 from cotton seed husk are also a first class potash manure. 

 They contain 18 to 30 per cent, of KsO in a very soluble 

 condition, also 5 to 10 per cent, of PsOs of which ii to 

 2 per cent, is soluble in water. Lime-kiln ashes contain 

 only 2 per cent, of K^O and less than i per cent, of PgOs. 

 Brick-kiln ashes contain only ii per cent, of K 2 O. These 

 and ordinary wood ashes are therefore not nearly so valuable 

 as ashes derived from burning twigs, leaves and green or 

 soft parts of plants, or from cattle-dung. In applying ashes 

 as manure to crops this very important difference must be 



