IGl 



THE NEW GENE8EE FARMER, 



Vol,. 



York, October 14, 1842. 

 Mr. Colman, Dear Sir : — I now forward another 

 Brticle for the Farmer. I selected this, not merely 

 aa showing the value of leached ashes, but mainly as 

 a specimen of the minute accuracy, care and persever- 

 ance with which German agriculturists conduct their 

 experiments. I will only observe that the relative 

 meaeures are preserved, reduced to the English 

 etandard acre and bushel ; while the prices are as- 

 sumed to be such as would be here paid and obtained. 

 Though the elTccts of the ashes, would probably be 

 similar every where, in similar soils, the profit of the 

 application would of course depend on their cost in 

 each locality, and the price obtainable for the pro- 

 ducts. Thus the cost of the ashes here delivered on 

 my own land, three miles from town, and spreading 

 ihem, would be $6,25 ; while increased products, as 

 the prices assumed, is worth $19,98. But the actual 

 cost of the ashes and spreading, in the experiment^ 

 was $2.90, and the value of the increased products 

 was $18, 62 — ashes and labor being there much cheap- 

 er, while the products sold at nearly as high prices as 

 they would have done here. 



Respectfully yours, 



SAML. WAGNER. 

 Translated for the New Genesee Farmer. 

 On Leached Ashes. 



BT W. ylLBERT, OF ROSZLAN, PRUSSIA. 



I am induced to communicate the result of a series 

 of experiments on the application of leached ashes to 

 (Sndy soils, in this vicinity ; together with some 

 general remarks on the subject — to which these ex. 

 perimente, and an attentive observation of the effect of 

 such ashes on various soils, have led. 



A Held, of dry sandy soil, which bad lain in grass 

 eight years, and was overrun with moss, was selected 

 and dressed with leached ashes, at the rate of 66 bush- 

 els per acre ; excepting a few square rods in the cen- 

 tre, which were left without a dressing, that the effects 

 of the ashes might be accurately ascertainable. The 

 land was first plowed about six inches deep, turning 

 down the sod carefully, so as to close it in completely; 

 the ashes were then hauled on, spread, and covered 

 in with a shallow furrow, or about two inches deep. 

 In this condition it was permitted to remain six or 

 seven weeks, when it was again plowed, three inches 

 deep, — so as to bring up the ashes — and then seeded 

 with buckwheat. The results were as follows : 



In the yeor 1827, A, a measured square rod of the 

 portion dressed with leached ashes, produced 53 

 ounces of buckwheat. 



In the same year, B, a square rod of the portion not 

 dressed, produced 28^ ounces of buckwheat. 



In 1828, the field having been seeded with rjre the 

 previous autumn, 



A produced 77! ounces of grain. 



B do. 44 16 do. do. 



In 1829, oats were sown in the spring, with clover. 



A produced 81 J ounces. 



B do. .38J do. 



In 1630, the field wos depastured — no additional ma- 

 nure or stimulant having been applied. The pasturage 

 •n the dressed part was moderately good — the crop 

 would probabably have yielded neorly a ton of hay 

 per acre. On the other part scarcely any thing grew 

 but weeds. In the fall the field was seeded with rye. 



In 1831, A produced 53 ounces of rye. 

 " B do. 28i do. 



Cost of tlu application. — Sixty-six bushels of leach- 

 ed ashes, per acre, had been applied ; which cost, de- 

 livered in the field, 9 cts. per bushel. 



66 bushels leached ashes, 9 cts $5 94 



Spreading, 31 



$6 25 

 N<>w arises the questlsB, what profit bos resujted 



5J bushels Buckwheot 60 cts., 



470 lbs. straw, worth 



from this expenditure of $6.25 1 The foUwing cal- 

 culation will show. 



In 1827, A yielded 243 ounces of buckwheat, 

 more than B yielded — which is an excess of 247^ 

 lbs. per acre, oi 5J bushels. 



$3 30 

 75 

 In 1828, A yielded 33 1-6 ounces of rye, more than 



B — an excess of 331 lbs. per acre, or 6 bushels. 



6 bushels Rye, 62^ cts $3 75 



6U0 lbs. straw, worth I 5() 



In 1829, A yielded 424 ounces of oote, more 



than B — an excess of 425 lbs. per acre, or lOj 



bushels. 



li'J bushels Oata, 25 cts $2 62J 



550 lbs. stiaw, worth 1 00 



In 1830, the field was in clover, and the increased 



value of the pasiuroge wasat least $3 00, per acre, in 



fovorofihe dressed portion. Say 



Pasturage worth $3 00 



Inl83l, A yielded 24.| ouncesofrye, more than 



B — an excess of 247J lbs per acre, or 4 J bushels. 



4J bushels Rye 62i cts $3 81 



470 lbs. straw, worth i 25 



RECAPITULATION. 



In 1827, an increased product, worth $4 05 per acre. 

 ■"■" 5 25 " 



1828, 

 1829, 

 1830, 

 1831, 



3 62| 



3 00 



4 06 



19 98 J 



Thus, without taking into account the pasturage in 

 [he oat stubble in the fall of 1830, we have the aggre- 

 eatc sum of $19,984 ^8 the value of the increased 

 product of this field, resulting from an expenditure of 

 $6.25, on lond worth but $15 per acre, orignally. 

 There is moreover, no reason to suppose that the ef- 

 fects of the dressing were wholly exhausted at the end 

 of these five years — though the experiment wos not 

 continued longer. 



A heoped bushel of these ashes, when sufficiently 

 dried to be pulverized, weighed 64 bis. Consequent- 

 ly 4224 lbs. per acre were applied ; and the applica- 

 tion of this qsantity produced in the ensuing five 

 years, increased crops of 



Grain, 1251 lbs. 



Straw, 2090 " 



besides pasturage nearly equivalent to one ton of hoy — 

 as appears from the preceding details, the result of a 

 carefully conducted experiment. It hence seems 

 highly probable thot leached ashes impart to the soils 

 to which they are applied, a capacity to appropriate 

 and assimilate more abundantly, or more rapidly, the 

 fertilizing constituents of the atmosphere — os this 

 alone affords an explanation of their extraordinary ef- 

 fects. 



In addition to the foregoing, experience and exten- 

 sive observation authorize these inferences and re- 

 marks ; — 



1. Leached ashss have proved themselves particu- 

 larly efficacious on sandy soils that are naturally dry. 

 But on wet soils and moist meadows, they produce no 

 effect. Though carefully made comparative experi- 

 ments have often shown an increase of crop exceeding 

 100 per cent., resulting from the application o{ un- 

 leached ashes to moist meadows, not the slightest 

 perceptible increase followed the application of leach- 

 ed ashes to similar meadows. 



2. Sandy lands which have lain several years in 

 grass, and have been depastured, are more susceptible 

 of improvement from leached ashes than any other. 



3. About sixty bushels, heaped measure, are com- 

 monly an ample dressing for an acre. Benefit has 

 seldom been derived from a laijer quantity. On the 

 contrary, heavier doses hove not unfrequently pro- 

 duced injury — especially in wet seasons. 



4. It is found moat advantageous to turn down the 



giecn sword the usual depth of good plowing ; lo; i 

 row lengthwise, and apply the leached ashes, spr« 

 ing them evenly and plowing them under with a 

 low furrow, a month or six weeks before eeedigi 

 when the land should again be plowed shallow, 

 to bring up the athcs to the surface. Tlwyl 

 much less efficacious if covered in at once, witll! 

 seed-furrow. 



5. Weeds ore very perceptibly diminished aftt 

 dressing of leoehed ashes have been applied ; and f 

 or six crops moy usually be token, without the ap 

 cation of other manures. 



6. Oats are decidedly more benefitted by the ap[ 

 cation of such ashes, than any other grain ; though 

 groin crops are materially increased thereby, 



7. It has been found, in many instances, ihatj 

 tatoes and leguminous plants connot be cultivat 

 with profit on loamy or clayey sand-lands, unlea 

 dressing of leached ashes be given several years in a 

 vance. 



8. It is not until after a lapse of 12 or 15 year* 

 the land having meon'.ime received several dressin 

 of animal manure — thotthe applicotion ofleachdasb 

 appears to become less efficacious. 



9. These ashes are always found to be particular 

 efficacious in dry sMsons ; lees so, when the ssaso 

 is moist ; and when it is wet, of scarcely any efTeti 



It must be remarked, however, thot it is only o- 

 soils to lehick Utey are adapted, and in favorable 

 sons, that leached ashes are thus eminently beneficial 

 and hence, perhaps they cannot properly be conside,- 

 ed a manure. But in this respect, they share the fat 

 of lime, gypsum, liornshovings, bone-dust, and var 

 ous other substonces — all of which have been know 

 to produce a moat luxuriant vegetation and abundar 

 crops, in some soils ond seasons, while they remains' 

 wholly inert and inoperative in others. 



I think I hove observed, in general, thot a greats 

 variety of manures and stimulants ore more efficaciot^ 

 in sondy soils, than in those notu'slly of a better quel 

 ity and composition. But this, if so, is but anolhe" 

 evidence of the tendency of Nature's operations, t 

 compensate for disadvantogcs. •\s sondy soi's par 

 more freely and rapi.lly with their geine and assimilai 

 ble substances, so Nature hos given them more diver 

 sified capobilities for renovation. Henee, also, thoen 

 alone cultivate sandy soils with profit and success; 

 who turn to account thi.s cxtro kindness of Nature- 

 supplying the deficiencies of the soil sedulously from 

 the greoter diversity of resources which are availabU' 

 for this purpose. But when the controry prevails — 

 when by an injudicious course of crops, ond the mis. 

 application or non-opplicatiun of manures or fertili 

 zers, the soil is continually deterioroted ond convert- 

 ed into a receptocle of weeds, then a common fate — ex- 

 treme poverty and destitution — await alike the mi». 

 managed land anci its miserable cultivator. 



For the Ncic Genesee Farmer. 



Manuring Grass Iiau<1s--Valac of Ashes. 



" N. N. D."' of Stockport, in tlie October number 

 oithe Cutticator, gives an account of some experi- 

 ments made by him in manuring gross lauds. Ha 

 says : 



" 3d mo. 24th, stoked off five square rods of 

 ground, contiguous to each other. Soil, clay, an old 

 meodow which had been mowed upwards of 40 yrs ; 

 the grass is red top, timoth)', blue-grass, and red and 

 white clover ; surface nearly level, but inclined to 

 the north." 



He then manured them as follows : 

 No. 1 Left without manure, the product wos when 



dry 25 bbls. 



No. 2. 1 bushel strong ashes, " " 39^ bbls. 

 No. 3. 1 " air slacked lime, " " 25 " 

 No. 4. 2 " elear dry eow«Jung, " 284 " 



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