lO 



Maine; agricultural, experiment station. 1911. 



the manner in which they were produced, unless they carry 

 a guaranteed analysis from a rehable party. Their greatest 

 money value depends upon the potash they contain and this 

 element varies greatly depending on the wood from which 

 they were made, manner of burning and whether protected 

 from rains after burning. Potash is volatile at high tempera- 

 tures and consequently when ashes are burned hard as they 

 sometimes are in furnaces a part of the potash is lost. For 

 this reason, particularly when they are bought for their pot- 

 ash content, the farmer should have a guaranteed analysis of 

 water soluble potash content. In estimating the agricultural 

 value, however, one should not lose sight of the fact that 

 ashes contain quite an amount of phosphoric acid and a large 

 amount of lime. To these two latter constituents the bene- 

 ficial action of ashes is probably often due as much as to the 

 potash they contain. The Station has no funds for making 

 free analyses of ashes but will make them at cost of the chem- 

 ist's time. The necessity of such analysis is shown by the va- 

 riations given in the following table. 



Highest, Lowest and Average Amounts of Phosphoric Acid, 

 Potash and Lime in 100 Pounds of Ashes. 



Kinds of ashes. 





Phos- 

 phoric 

 acid. 



Potash 

 Soluble 



in 

 water 



Lime. 



Unleached ashes. 





fo 



fo 



% 



Hard wood 



highest 



6.0 



10.4 



39.0 





lowest 



2.0 



5,2 



31.7 





average 



3.3 



8.0 



36.5 



Mill furnace ashes. 











Soft wood 



highest 



2.7 



4.7 



46.2 





lowest 



1.3 



0.9 



35.9 





average 



1.7 



3.5 



42.8 



Canada ashes car lots. 













highest 



- 



6.8 



- 





lowest 



- 



3.3 



- 





average 



- 



5.0 



- 



Leached ashes. 













average. 



1.7 



0.7 



26.5 



New England Mineral Fertilizer. 



Occasionally during the past 25 years there have been zealous 

 advocates of the use of ground rock as a fertilizer. Soil is 

 formed by the weathering of rocks by the slow processes of 

 time. Dreamers, and it is to be earnestly hoped their dreams 



