MANURIAL VALUE OF ASHES, MUCKS, ETC. 



6 9 



For the purpose of clearness the averages of the preceding 

 table are given in a concise form in the table which follows : 



POUNDS OF WATER, PHOSPHORIC ACID, WATER SOLUBLE POTASH AND 

 LIME IN 100 POUNDS OF DIFFERENT CLASSES OF WOOD ASHES. 



Kinds of ashes. 



c ~ 



Unleached hard wood 



Unleached soft wood, household. .. 



Unleached soft wood, dump .. 



Unleached soft wood, mill furnace. 



Unleached Canada, car lots 



Leached mixed wood 



3.3 

 1.8 

 1.1 

 1.7 



8.0 

 2.6 

 1.5 

 3.5 



5.0 



36.5 

 23.6 

 34.3 



42.8 



26.5 



The results of the analyses indicate very clearly that different 

 samples of ashes differ markedly in their manurial value. The 

 unleached hard wood ashes are of much greater value than those 

 of soft wood. As seen from the table on p. 67 this cannot 

 be attributed chiefly to the kind of wood, but more to the method 

 of burning and subsequent care. Potash is volatile at a not very 

 high temperature and in case of very hot fires much of the pot- 

 ash would be driven off and lost. Dump and furnace ashes are 

 more or less exposed to the weather. The rains if copious 

 enough to wet through the pile would leach the ashes and carry 

 off more or less of the water soluble potash. In case of a dry 

 pile partially wet, the water falling upon the top will dissolve 

 out the potash in the upper layers and carry it to the lower part 

 of the pile. In the case of damp ashes drying out, the movement 

 of water is toward the top and the water containing the potash 

 would be drawn to the top and evaporate, leaving at the top of 

 the pile the potash in the form of a more or less crvstalline crust. 

 With the next rain this would be dissolved and carried down 

 into the pile to again reappear at the surface in subsequent evapo- 

 ration of the moisture. It therefore follows that the composi- 

 tion of a pile of wet ashes is not uniform and that portions of it 



