I 32 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
February 23 
Primer 
BALANCED PLANT FOOD. 
Part II. 
Wood Ashes and Bene. 
A ton of average wood ashes will con¬ 
tain about these substances : 
TON OF 
WOOD A8IIES. 
Sand, earth and coal.. 
Moisture. 
Lime. 
Potash. 
Phosphoric acid. 
Other matters. 
Unleached. 
. 260 
. 240 
. 1,220 
. 110 
. 38 
. 132 
Leached. 
260 
600 
1,020 
22 
28 
70 
Totals. 
. 2,000 
2,000 
First see what leaching or flooding 
water through the ton of ashes does. It 
washes out most of the potash and part 
of the phosphoric acid, and adds 3(50 
pounds of moisture—v\ hich represents 
the amount of water which does not 
readily pass through the ashes. This 
extra weight of water reduces the pro¬ 
portion of lime, and, of course, the 
leached ashes are not so valuable as 
plant food after losing the potash and 
phosphoric acid. 
There is no better source of the potash 
in plant food than good ashes. They 
are the closest to the original plant, 
tinely divided and very soluble. Not 
only do they supply direct plant food, 
but they are in just the right form 
to produce certain chemical actions in 
the soil which, indirectly, are of great 
value to agriculture. We wish to give 
all due consideration to ashes as a fer¬ 
tilizer, so that when we came to discuss 
substitutes for them, we shall not con¬ 
sider merely the actual cost of the miner¬ 
als at market prices for different sub¬ 
stances. 
The first question about this comes 
from Ohio : 
I have been told that coal ashes are far ahead 
of wood ashes as a fertilizer. What is The R. 
N.-Y.’s opinion ? 
We think that question has been asked 
by about every one who ever tried to 
study out the question of plant food. 
Luckily we have no opinions, but some 
good facts on this subject. The only real 
fertilizing value in the wood ashes is the 
potash and phosphoric acid they contain. 
The lime is not considered in this fertiliz¬ 
ing value, since its chief action is not so 
much to feed plants, as to increase the 
soil’s ability to give up plant food. In a 
ton of coal ashes, there are about 75 
pounds of lime, 3G pounds of potash, and 
five of phosphoric acid. Probably not 
over two pounds of this potash is avail¬ 
able. Why ? Because the fierce heat at 
which the coal was burned, has changed 
the potash, with sand into glass which 
even boiling acid will not dissolve. It is 
a fact worth remembering that powdered 
glass may contain far more potash than 
wood ashes, though it would have no 
value as a fertilizer, since the plants 
could not dissolve and use it. Over 1,800 
pounds of the ton of coal ashes, consist 
of earth reduced to a fine dust or powder 
by the action of the fire. They are not 
unlike clay roasted and burned to a 
powder. But why are not coal ashes 
just as good as wood ashes ? 
Coal must be the product of “ organic 
matter” or it would not burn. What we 
call “ coal,” is derived from the vegeta¬ 
tion that existed on the earth ages ago. 
This vegetation probably existed at one 
time not unlike some of our muck or 
A farm of 420 acres, having 12,000 fruit 
trees—apples, pears, peaches, cherries 
planted five years ago, can be bought this 
winter at a low price. The farm nearly 
adjoins the city of Chillicothe, O., lies on 
fine rolling land well adapted to fruit 
culture and stock raising. The owner 
died and the land came into the hands of 
a corporation whose business is not farm¬ 
ing or fruit growing. It is a fine oppor¬ 
tunity for the right man. For full in¬ 
formation address A. C. lloug'hton, 81 
Wheeler Building, Columbus, 0.— Adv, 
peat bogs to-day. New soil was formed 
above it, and the mass of vegetable mat¬ 
ter was pressed and hardened down into 
the black masses we call coal. The 
vegetation of that era was evidently dif¬ 
ferent from that of to-day. It was 
ranker and coarser, and contained more 
silica (the hard, flinty substance found 
in pure sand). You might compare the 
coarse, hard grass or rushes growing in 
wet places with the finest upland hay, 
to see how this coal vegetation differed 
from ours. Again, this vegetation was 
soaked and leached through countless 
ages, so that most of the lime, and soluble 
potash and phosphoric acid, were leached 
out of it. Some of you have doubtless 
seen an old log which has lain for years 
in a wet place with sand around it. The 
sand has found its way all through the 
wood. Chemical changes have been go¬ 
ing on displacing the useful potash, 
phosphoric acid, etc., and depositing the 
useless silica. 
We take time to explain this so that 
you may understand why coal ashes have 
no special fertilizing value. We have 
known men to pay money for coal ashes, 
thinking that they must be as valuable 
as wood ashes. Yet coal ashes have 
been known to benefit soils ? That is so, 
but not by adding fertility. Let us first, 
therefore, consider the action of ashes 
aside from their capacity to feed the 
plant. On loose, open sand, drainage is 
perfect, and water runs away too rapidly. 
Such soils dry out, both because of this 
rapid drainage, and because the dry air 
circulates freely through them. The 
larger the particles of the soil, the larger 
the spaces between them, and the less 
chance for moisture to be held. It has 
often been noticed that on such soils, a 
thick dressing of fine coal ashes, well 
worked in, will do more good than a 
coat of coarse manure, and will enable a 
seeding of grain or grass to start and 
grow. This has led many people to 
claim that coal ashes must be a good fer¬ 
tilizer, because they “bi-ought in grass.” 
Some go so far as to claim that coal 
ashes will always “ bi'ing in” clover—no 
matter whether the seed is sown or not. 
We wish to have it clearly understood 
at the start, that all manurial substances 
may serve two pui-poses—they may yield 
plant food directly to the plant, or act 
in the soil in such a way as to increase its 
capacity for holding water, loosen it up 
so as to admit more air, or act on the 
soil itself to set plant food free. 
We know very well that we can take a 
l-ough, hide-bound itchy cow, and in¬ 
crease her flow of milk by giving her a 
good daily carding*. This rubbing of 
the hide does not place any more food in 
her stomach, but by opening the pores 
of her skin, and relieving irritation, it 
enables her to digest her food better, and 
consequently more of it is used for a 
useful purpose. Adding the coal ashes 
to the sand, may be compai’ed to carding 
the cow. The fine, powdery ashes filled 
in the spaces between the particles of 
sand. It was just like a man taking a 
coarse sieve and plugging up three- 
fourths of each mesh. Of course it “ held 
water ” better. Not only was the water 
slower in soaking through, but in a dry 
time the water from below rose easier 
than before since, as every one knows, 
water rises much higher in a small tube 
than in a lai’ge one. Thus while the 
coal ashes added no actual fertility to 
the soil, they did provide an abiding 
place for water right where the seed and 
the young plant could use it. When we 
use coal ashes as a mulch around cur¬ 
rant bushes, something of the same re¬ 
sult takes place. Some people use pot¬ 
ash in the form of strong lye. This is 
dissolved in water and poured over coal 
ashes. The ashes absorb the water, and 
thus hold the potash in a convenient 
form for application to the soil. We 
shall learn that this matter of regulating 
the supply of water by changing the 
texture of the soil by cultivating, mulch¬ 
ing or irrigating, is of as much import¬ 
ance as the supplying of plant food. 
Never forget that all fertilizing sub¬ 
stances have two effects—one on the 
plant dii’ectly in supplying plant food, 
and one on the soil in changing its texture 
or setting free fertility. 
Wood ashes affect the soil even more 
than coal ashes do. They are as fine, 
and thus able to close up the spaces in 
coarse soils, and the lime, soda and pot¬ 
ash enable them to make cement-like 
combinations for compacting the soil. 
Dr. Jenkins gives an illustration of the 
cement made by stiri-ing up clay, wood 
£Ui.$crUancofl.$ 9ulmti.c4nfl. 
YVE~^ 
GIVE AWAY 
A Sample Package (4 to 7 doses) of 
Dr. Pierce’s 
Pleasant Pellets 
To any one sending name and address lo 
us on a postal card. 
QNC E US ED TH EY AR E A LWAYS IN FAVOR. 
Hence , our object in sending them out 
broadcast 
- ON TRIAL ___—. 
They absolutely cure 
SICK HEADACHE, 
Biliousness, Constipation, 
Coated Tongue, Poor Ap¬ 
petite, Dyspepsia and kin¬ 
dred derangements of the 
Stomach,Liver and Bowels. 
Don't accept sonic substitute said 
to be “just as good." 
The substitute costs the dealer 
less. 
It costs you ABOUT the same. 
HIS profit is in the “ just as 
good. ’ ’ 
WHERE IS YOURS? 
Address for Free Sample, 
World’s Dispensary Medical Association, 
No. 663 Main St., BUFFALO, N. Y. 
P atent Slow-Feed Manger ; $1.60 each; 9.000 
sold. 50 Warren St., New York; 140 N. Broad St., 
Philadelphia, and 53 Elm St., Boston, Mass. 
PMC DECT Farm Account Book on Earth. 3d 
I Ilk DhU I Ed..containingmany improvements 
ow ready, 50c. GEO. A. ROGERS. N. Andover, Mass. 
Star* 
Lathes 
Foot Power 
Screw cutting 
Automatic 
Cross Feed 
9 and 12 inch Swing. 
New Designs. Novel Features. 
Semi for Catalogue B. 
SENECA FALLS MFG. COMPANY, 
oo Vails N. V. 
ONE YEAR TRIAL FREE 
A fine 14 k. gold pUted watch to every reader of this paper. 
Written guarantee for 6 yra.scnt with each watch. Cutthii 
out and Bend it to us with your fullname and address, 
and we will send you one oftheseelegant richly jew¬ 
eled gold finished watches by express for examination 
and if you thin kit equal in appearance to a gold 
watch, pay our sample price f*J.&8&nd it is yours. 
We send with the watch our guarantee that you can 
it at any time within one year if not satisfac¬ 
tory, and if you sell or cause the sale of six we will 
give you one FREE. Write at once as we shall send 
►ut samples for 60 days only. 
CHICAGO WATCH CO., 
CTL. Si „ 281 Wabash Are., CHICAGO 
Rheumatism, Neuralgi a, Sciatica, Backache. 
~ST. JACOBS OIL 
SAFE, SURE, PROMPT. 
At the World’s 
Fair everybody got 
a ribbon and di¬ 
ploma. 
Ashton’s Salt 
alone received a medal for 
superiority as a dairy salt. 
It is now, as it always has 
been, the “Leader” and the 
“Standard.” 
Use no other. 
FRANCIS D. MOULTON & CO., 
Agents for United States and Canada, 
29 Broadway, New York. 
BLATCHFORD’S 
Perfect Substitute for flilk in raising Calves. 
Doubled in stren gth t his season. One lb. makes 
one gal. of rich Gruel as nutrit io us as milk. 
Sample 25 l bs., $1.00. Pamphlet *‘How to 
Raise Calves Cheaply and Successfully W ithout 
nilk,” with letters from those who have done 
so, sent free .__ 
I. W. BARWELL, 16 Pacific Ave., Chicago, 
_Jobber of HiH Feeds, Grain, etc.,__ 
3 luten Me al, Pure_ Oilmeal s, Un decorticated 
Coc ton Seed fleai, Fat Sto c k Corn and Wh eat 
~Feed, Rice fl.-al, Corn Bran, Wheat Bran , 
fltddi.ngs, Flour, etc. of best qualities. 
FRENCH BUHR MILLS 
28 sizes and styles. Every mill warranted. 
For All Kinds of Grim 
A boy can operate and 
in order. “Book 
and sample meal FRtE. 
All kinds mill machinery, 
mills built, roller or buhrsysteni 
Reduced Prices for ’US. 
N0RDYKE & MARM0N GO. 
270 Day Street, 
GRINDS WHEAT, 
rye, barley and oats fine, also 
ear corn ; and does It all on one 
set of grinders. Different from 
Others. Improved. Best. 
Special price, now. 
(\ a I-II iiiidio a sizes of belt power mills.) 
P. H. B0WSHER, So. Bend, Ind. 
D RELIABLE 
PEERLESS 
FEED 
GRINDERS 
Grinds more grain to any 
degree of fineness than any other mill. Grinds ear- 
corn, oats, etc., fine enough for any purpose. War¬ 
ranted not to choke. We warrant the Peerless to be 
THE BEST AND CHEAPEST MIL* ON EARTH. 
w- Write us at once for prices and agency. 
There is money in this mill. Made only by the 
JOLIET STROWBRIDGE CO.,JOLIET, ILL. 
Jobbers and Manufacturers of Farm Machinery, 
Carriages, Wagons. Windmills, Bicycles. Harness, 
etc. Prices lowest. Quality best. 
FREE 
POULTRY BOOK, 40 pages, 16 
varieties. Eggs, $1 for 13. DAVIS 
BROS., Box E, Washington, N. J 
EGGS M FOWLS 
CAD Oil C From 50 varieties. Largest 
fun OAL£ KAMiK In the West. 
2000 prizes at 1 O State Shows In 1H94. 
Send three one cent stamps for best Illustrated 
Catalogue, size 8 x zx, 32 pap'es. 
CHAS. GAMMERDINGER, BOX E, COLUMBUS, 0. 
NEW CATALOGUE 11895 
Printed in colors. The finest and best 
Poultry Book ever published,^illus¬ 
trates and describes all the leading 
varieties of poultry. Gives prices ot 
Poultry and Eggs, Plans for Poultry 
Houses and Remedies for Diseases.*, If 
you raise Poultry, you can not afford 
to be without i t. Sent for 10c. in silver 
or stamps. Address, 
The J. W. MILLER CO> 
Box NO. 121. FREEPORT. ILL. 
SHOEHflAKER’S 
MAMMOTH 
FOR 
1395 
Is positively the finest work of the kind ever pub¬ 
lished. Others advertise the finest (but they have 
not got it J. If you want something thatisjust as 
you find it advertised here or even 
better, you will get it by sending 
your order to me I PROVE ALL I 
CLAIM. Geo. P. Pilling & bon,Phil¬ 
adelphia, Pa., write:— 
“It is a thing of beauty and without a peer. 
It 8how3 unsparing pains and bristles with 
valuable information on every page.” 
It contains 88 pages, best paper, in 
colors, photo engravings oftlie largest l>oultry fa.m it: the North¬ 
west. Also other fine engravings, besides illustrations of 45 of 
the leading varieties of Pure Bred Bowls, with full description 
and prices of them, and egg. Gives receips for the besteggfood. 
Condition Powder, sure remedies for all knowndiseasesof fowls, 
best plans with illustrations to build cheap and convenient Poul¬ 
try Houses. Sent to any addressfor 15 cents, postpaid. Addess 
C.C. SHOEMAKER, Box 67 Freeport, III. (J. S. A 
