Manures and Fertilizers 



Second. Muriate of potash contains from 50 to 55 per cent, of available potash, 

 and may be purchased at prices ranging from $40.00 to $44.00 per ton. 



Third. Nitrate of potash, containing 40 to 42 per cent, of potash and 20 per cent, 

 of nitrogen, is one of the most valuable fertilizer constituents known. It is somewhat 

 expensive, costing from $4.65 to $6.00 per 100 pounds, but, whenever it can be secured, 

 it may be profitably used. 



Fourth. Kainit, containing about i2 l /2 per cent, of potash, may be purchased at 

 prices ranging from $10.50 to $12.00 per ton. It is considered one of the least valuable 

 of the various potash compounds offered, as it is a crude compound and much of the 

 potash contained therein is not available. 



Fifth. Another source of potash is wood ashes, which contain from 16 to 40 per 

 cent, of available potash, the amounts varying according to the character of the woods 

 consumed in making the ashes, as well as the manner in which the ashes have been 

 gathered and preserved. Ashes from hard woods such as maple, beech, hickory and 

 oak, are richer in potash than those made from the softer woods, such as pine, hemlock, 

 spruce, poplar, etc. Ashes that have been carefully gathered and stored in a dry place, 

 where they are not exposed to leaching rains, are much more valuable than those not 

 carefully protected, as they possess a much larger percentage of available potash. 

 Leached ashes are of comparatively little value, as the greater proportion of the potash 

 has been taken away. Wood ashes contain potash in one of its best forms, and also 

 contain considerable quantities of lime and a small quantity of phosphoric acid. As 

 usually offered for sale, they contain a considerable portion of moisture and dirt. The 

 average analysis of commercial wood ashes shows them to contain less than six per 

 cent, of potash and two per cent, of phosphoric acid, and some 32 per cent, of lime, 

 while the leached wood ashes contain a little over one per cent, of potash, about \y 2 

 per cent, of phosphoric acid and about 25 per cent, of lime. Where unleached ashes 

 made from good hard woods can be obtained, they will prove one of the best sources 

 of potash, as the potash contained in them is in a fine state of division and immediately 

 available. 



Ashes are said to have a favorable physical effect upon most soils, espe- 

 cially upon those that are heavy. In purchasing ashes, they should always 

 be bought subject to analysis, and the price should be determined by the actual 

 plant constituent contained, and it should not be greater than that at which 

 the same constituents can be purchased in other available forms. 



In carnation growing, the most profitable use that can be made of ashes 

 is to sow them liberally upon sodded ground intended for future use as car- 

 nation soil. The ashes should be spread upon the ground in the fall of the 

 year. During the winter season they will be dissolved and leached into 

 the soil. 



Liquid Manures 



The most useful form in which chemical manures can be employed by the 

 carnation grower is by watering his growing plants with liquid fertilizers. 



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