ABOUT FRUITS, FLOWERS AXD FARMING. 131 



midsummer, and not disturbed till sowing-time ; and the 

 fall plowing should not disturb the inverted sod. 



When wheat is to be sown on wheat again, as large a 

 part of the straw should be left in the harvest-field as pos- 

 sible. This is to be plowed under ; but, if it can be done 

 without endangering the fences, it would be better to burn 

 it over ^ the ashes will contain all the valuable salts. On 

 this point we extract the following note appended by the 

 editor o^ Liebig^s Agricultural Chemistry. 



" In some parts of the grand-duchy of Hesse, where wood 

 is scarce and dear, it is customary for the common people 

 to club together and build baking-ovens, which are heated 

 with straw instead of wood. The ashes of this straw are 

 carefully collected and sold every year at very high prices. 

 The farmers there have found by experience that the ashes 

 of straw form the very best manure for wheat ; although it 

 exerts no influence on the growth of fallow-crops (potatoes 

 or the leguminosae, for example). The stem of wheat 

 grown in this way possesses an unconunon strength. The 

 cause of the favorable action of these ashes will be apparent, 

 when it is considered that all corn-plants require silicate of 

 potash ; and that the ashes of straw consist almost entirely 

 of this compound. 



But this procedure does not depend upon theoretical 

 reasonings ; it has been abundantly substantiated by the 

 practice of English cultivators. We find on page 333 of the 

 " British Husbandry, " an admirable work published under 

 the superintendence of the Society for the Difiusion of 

 Useful Knowledge, the following statement : 



" The ashes of burnt straw have also been found benefi- 

 cial by many intelligent practical farmers, from some of 

 whose experiments we select the following instances. 

 Advantage was taken of a fine day to fire the stubble of an 

 oat-field soon after harvest, the precaution having been pre- 

 viously taken of sweeping round the boimdary to prevent 

 injury to the hedges. The operation was easily performed, 



