122 USE OF WOOD ASHES. 



stituents come into action more slowly, but still are 

 always steadily decomposing, and constantly yielding 

 food for the plant. The effect of a heavy dose of 

 ashes, therefore, is quite lasting. 



A favorite application of this manure is as a top 

 dressing upon grass crops, also for dusting over young 

 corn and potatoes. For this purpose ashes are often 

 used with gypsum. They are very useful to absorb 

 liquid from composts or in tanks, or, as has been men- 

 tioned in various places, to mix with guano and other 

 portable manures for sowing. From the considerable 

 proportion of alkali contained in them, they are quite 

 caustic, and hence seem to have a very good effect in 

 extirpating troublesome weeds, on meadows and pas- 

 tures. Their action in running out poor grasses, such 

 as bent, etc., when the land is otherwise well treated, 

 is familiar to practical men. They do this by adding 

 to the soil substances which encourage the natural 

 growth of more valuable classes. 



Spent or lixiviated ashes, that is, those that have 

 been used by soap or potash-makers, are of course 

 much less valuable, inasmuch as they have lost nearly 

 every thing that is soluble in water. Two thirds, and 

 oftener three fourths of their bulk, however, continue 

 unchanged, and in this part there still remains the 

 lime, the magnesia, the phosphates, etc., which are of 

 importance; for this reason, these ashes should also 

 be always carefully saved and applied. They are good 

 for all of the purposes to which ashes are applied; 

 good to mix with liquids or solids; and they can 

 usually be obtained at very cheap rates. Being of so 

 much less strength, they may profitably be applied in 

 greatly increased quantity, and thus by the large pro- 

 portion of slow r ly dissolving lime and phosphates 

 which they contain, form quite a permanent addition 

 to the valuable ingredients of the soil. 



Anthracite coa'i ashes should not be neglected 



