166 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



'burned carbonaceous substances, in small or large quantities, the effect of 

 ■whicli we cannot precisely estimate. These often amount to a large per- 

 centage of their weight, and consist of insoluble phosphates of potash, sili- 

 cates, carbonates, magne; ia, lime, &c. Ashes, when placed in heaps, 

 sometimes take fire by spontaneous combustion, and become red hot. This 

 occurrance has happened upon my farm, and consequently I always spread 

 them at once upon the land, as sad accidents might occur. 



There appears to be a great diiference of opinion respecting the use of 

 ashes. One farmer says : " By the application of ten bushels, I produced 

 forty bushels of wheat to the acre ;" and another says, — " I used the same 

 quantity with very little result." 



The reason is this : — The composition of different kinds of ashes is very 

 dissimilar. For example, ashes from the pitch pine is much richer in 

 soda and potash, and possesses less phosphoric acid and lime than that- 

 from the common white pine ; while that made from beech wood is exceed- 

 ingly rich in phosphoric and sulphuric acids, lime and potash. As they 

 differ, so will differ their effects upon land. If you place a plant in the 

 fire and burn it, the hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon are driven off, 

 and the inorganic portion called the ash remains ; and if this is again ex- 

 posed to an intense heat, it suffers no diminution. The quantity and 

 quality of the ash of two different species of plants, though grown vipon 

 precisely the same soil, is never alike ; they differ in the ratio of their 

 different affinities. The inorganic constituents contained in the ash are 

 absolutely essential to the substance of plants, and if the farmer would 

 have healthy crops he must supply them. The ash of a plant will clearly 

 demonstrate what a soil ought to contain, and thus throw an unexpected 

 light upon the operations of the agriculturist. The inorganic substances 

 contained in different vegetables varies from one to fifteen per cent of 

 their entire weight. 



The weight of ash left by 100 lbs. of wheat is 2 per cent. 



Barley, 3 " 



Rye, H " 



Oats 2| " 



Barley straw, 5| " 



Oat straw, 6 " 



Rye straw, 3 " 



Wheat straw, 3^- " 



If a farmer finds one of his fields will not mature a certain crop, let 

 him try another, and success will attend his experiment. If you plant a 

 fruit tree, its roots immediately select from the soil the variety and quantity 

 of inorganic matter which will mature its parts. You may graft another 

 tree upon it, which requires the same variety of inorganic matter in like 

 proportion. This will generally be the case with the same varieties, rarely 

 with different species, and very seldom with a different genera. You may 

 engraft upon an orange the lemon, because the sap of both contain the 

 same saline and earthy substances, but the grape, or fig, would not ripen 



