U2 Supplmmt to the '■'Tropical AgricuHuHst." [Afori.T 1, 1898. 
both ashes and clmrcoal iu uu article coiitributt-d 
by him to un Australian exchange, that we quote 
it for ihe benefit of Ihcte who uve inclined to look 
Willi aonterapi on lla-se .-iniple fertilizers ; — 
Long ob;;er\iiii'in and sludy, togetl.or with (he 
iiiLuiiiit'i \ nicticiil exptiiience iiccjuired over a long 
term of yenrs of close afsocititioii willi pluiiis 
introduced into this colony will probnbly gne 
fiOine weight to the reni ii ili s hero ini:de on 
ashes and clmrcoal, as 1 have found them the most 
natural, and in all respects the most economical, 
iniiu ;ifes that can be applied to ail plants, especi- 
ally when they are so near at haiid, but ycL are 
allowed to go to waste. These, when used as 
fertilisers, not infrequently produce a greater in- 
crease of crop tliau their chemical composition 
promised; and this is all the more remarkable 
beciiuse the oppo.-iio is usunlly the case wiih 
fertilisLiS. The a.'rhes contain all the mineral 
puiis ii! the wood, and, as not. much nitrogen is 
required, the a.sh;'S alone are sulhcieut. .Supp..se 
we were to burn an applo-iree, '.'hiit is left f A^he3 
certuiuiy ; and as 50 lb. of ilr se ashes contain 4 
lb. of potash, this mubt h.i\e been the substance 
mo.st largely taken from the soil by the tree. 
Apparently the potash in the ashes increases the 
production of uvailable plant food in the soil by 
inducing or stimulating chemical action. This 
potash is a constituent of every plant, although 
some plants require a great deal more than otheis. 
The power ot the potash in ashes to liberate 
nitrogen from humus is well known, and this 
action in making available the nitrogen iu the soil 
is strikingly shown when land recently cleared 
of timber ia put into crop. Wherever a heap of 
logs or brush has been burned, the vegetation is 
rank and luxuriant. 
In the raising of tiecs and shrubs, my seed beds 
consist cf ashes and charcoal, except a small 
amount of good soil on top for the seeds to ger- 
miuaio ill anO for absorbing the water, as it wouid 
be iii.ipossible to get tlie w;aer to enter the ashej. ; 
and 1 notice tliat imuieaKitely the young roots get 
u firm hold of the ashes they make ireraendotis 
growth, and iilso lind that the application of lliese 
ashes to the soil improves its Capillarity, and 
therefore gives to the plants more moi.'^ture, 
increases the woody growtii, and in all pot plants 
it gives the gieatest satisfaction. 
In a ton of ashes there should be about 140 lb. 
of potash in a form most readily available by the 
roots of plants, besides sufScient phosphoric acid 
and a small quantity of nitrogen, and the inorganic 
matter iu the ash of a plant gives stiength to the 
plants and enables them to give large produce. But 
some soils have sufficient potash only in a dormant 
state ; then a iittle lime will make it active. For 
ii.st,uL;ce, rectutiy a lucerne crop on Talgui Station 
beCvime iess eucl) year, and at la.st it w as nearly 
covered with weeds. In the diy weather the 
mantif-er decided to burn these off previous to 
ploughing. After this was done (the burning), 
ruin set in, and i:i one week after the tire the crop 
showed signs oi being as good as it was in the first 
or second season altei sowing. 1 think the ashes 
did that, because if we w ere to burn 2 tons of clover 
hay we would have a large quantity of ashes, and 
this is what it contains :— Potash, 62 lb.; socia, 
7 lb. ; magnesia, 35 lb. ; lime, 111 ib. ; phosphoric 
acid, 20 lb. ; silica, 10 lb. ; and common salt, a lb. 
To show that the ashes are olso good for the 
orchard, we will take the orauge-tree ao an 
example. A ton of orauges removes from (he t-o\\ 
l(X) 1.-. of miner il m^ilier, and 30 lb. of thi.« is 
potash. We mil <ay that un average crop of full- 
grown 'rees will be about 10 true per ucie. i iid wo 
h ive tluLs a removal from rh^ 'oil of abon., J.OuO 1 . 
of mineral mattei per aero per ai<iium hy an omij 
crop. This ni'iy go on for ten years, and i!ot a. 
single particle of tl:e^e ingredient.^ is returned 
except what Xaiuro returns by an occa>ioii;i] crop 
of weeds: and Still many wonder why their orchards 
become exhausted. But how many take into ac- 
count the necessity for their growtli r .\nd as the 
hiigest proporliou of the residue of tlie orange- 
tree is phosphate of lime, the value of aehe« 
to this tree cannot be over-ebtimaied. 
All kinds ol fruit abound in potusl), more espe- 
cially in their seeds, and 1-ick of potash in avail- 
able form for use is pi .liably oi^e reason why 
fruit dous not perfect i'lS^ii ^i- it uv^d to do. 
In growing grapes in Kuiope, they use no 
fertilisers excepting potash made by burning clij.- 
pings from vine and twigs cut in the iinining of 
tree.-', and it wa* part of my duty, when u boy, to 
assist in dcing this. In Fiance this is done 
extensively. It is probably true that a dieesing 
of unleached ashes applied in the spring viill make 
the fruit ripen earlier and attnin higlier colour aLd 
perfection. It may be a lack of potash tllatcall^e8 
iruit at midsu'cmer to remain several days will - 
out change. This is particularly noticeable in 
grapes when the vines have set more fruit than 
they can perfect. In such cases mildew often sets 
in, and the iruit never matures, I'otush aids not 
only in perfecting the seed, but in that myste- 
rious process which changes the acid astringent 
green fruit to the wholesome lu.sciousuess thut the 
same fruit attains when ripe. Whatever of sweet- 
ness the Iruit has, it receives through the leaver, 
hut cannot do so unless there is soluble pota»h to 
be taken up by the ioot» from the soil. The lime 
m the ashes lends to make the plant food already 
in the soil available, and is essential to plant 
growth, also for decomposing vegetable matter in 
the soil. 
With the ashes there is always a certain amount 
of charcoal ; therefore what the ashes are deficient 
in, the charcoal provides. Charcoal which is fre- 
quently used as a manure, does not act as such bj' 
changing into carbonic acid. Its effects are solely 
owing to the property which it has of retaining 
large quantities of various guses in its pores. Fresh 
burnt charcoal will absorb ummonia to ninety 
times its own volume. It also abourbs hydrochloric 
acid, sulphuric acid, hydrogen, carbonic acid, oxy- 
gen, nitrogen. Ammonia, from its being the great 
source from wiiich plants derive nitrogen, is one 
of the most important components of manure, and 
this ammonia is a colourless gas with a pungent 
smell, t uch as we meet with on opening the stable- 
doors, also when cleaniug the manure from the 
pig-styes. Charcoal forms a valuable auxiliary to 
iJlimaiiuies, ar.d when applied to the soil alone 
has great fertilising properties, and it also renders 
the toil to w hich it is applied in any considerable 
quantity lighter and more friable. 
In using charcoal, 1 make a large quantity of 
strong liquid manure, and into this is put the dry 
charcoal. When well soaked, it is taken out and 
