368 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Dec. 
Value of Ashes, Lime, &c., to the Farmer. 
Messrs. Editors —Though a lecturer upon scienti¬ 
fic and practical agriculture, I have never been much 
in the habit of reading agricultural papers or of wri¬ 
ting for them. But, in looking over some of the old 
numbers of the Cultivator, I find several questions, 
propounded by different individuals, relative to the use 
of lime, plaster, phosphate, and superphosphate. One 
inquires which is the cheaper, ashe3 at fourteen cents a 
bushel, or superphosphate at six cents a pound, to ap¬ 
ply to oat stubble for wheat. Another asks the best 
time and mode of applying lime, plaster, and ashes. 
Another, whether they should bo used separate or may 
be mixed. 
I do not know but that all these questions have been 
answered correctly by abler men than myself, and-also 
to the satisfaction of the inquirers; but whether they 
have or not, I would like to give mine opinion in the 
matter. And if my philosophy is not right, it may be 
reviewed and corrected, if worthy of notice. I propose 
then that ashes at twenty-five cents a bushel are cheap¬ 
er than phosphate at six cents a pound. Several salts 
are necessary for a full growth and maturity of a wheat 
crop. In using the superphosphate of lime, the farmer 
uses but one of the salts necessary for the perfection of 
a wheat crop. But, in the use of ashes, the farmer 
applies to his land, besides the several salts of potash, 
more or less of several other salts, no less valuable, ac¬ 
cording to the kind of timber from which the ashes 
were produced. Ashes from the beech contain nearly 
twenty per cent, of the salts of phosphoric acid. Ac¬ 
cording to the analysis of De Saussure, one hundred 
pounds of ashes would bo sufficient for the production 
of 3,820 pounds of straw. But. besides the other salts 
of potash, the ashes either furnish, ready prepared or 
produce after being put upon the land, a good supply 
of the silicato of potash, a salt as necessary as any 
other salts of potash, or even as any salt of phosphoric 
acid. But the ashes, besides furnishing several im¬ 
portant salts, may perform another office in the econ¬ 
omy of agriculture, no less important. In tho prepa¬ 
ration of compost, they may bo used as a solvent, to 
convert into important manures many other things, 
useless without being dissolved. And this too without 
destroying any of their efficacy as salts. 
Ashes then should never be used alone, but always 
in making compost, if they can be had. But, if every 
farmer knew the full value of ashes, there would be 
none to be bought. Every farmer would use his own. 
But the farmer has another resource. Bonos are worth 
to him six cents a pound. All the bones then that can 
be collected should be - dissolved and thoroughly mixed 
with the general compost, that every part of the field 
may receive an equal share. But ashes serve other 
purposes still important. They give compactness to 
light sandy soils, and render heavy clay soils light and 
friable. They serve too to neutralize whatever super¬ 
abundance of acids there may be in any soil. Fann¬ 
ers are beginning to feel more and more, that they must 
do something to enrich their farms. This is right. But 
in the prosecution of their inquiries, they commit one 
great error. Instead of waking up their own resources, 
they arc turning their attention away to the Lobos 
Islands and to the factories of superphosphates for as¬ 
sistance. 
Now, the error lies in going from home for assist¬ 
ance. For not one in ten thousand of the farmers of 
our country will ever go beyond his own farm for any 
means to enrich it. Let the inquiry of every farmer 
then be, how can I, within and of myself, and on my 
own farm, enrich my farm I That is the question, Mr. 
Editor. Yours, most respectfully, J. L. Edgerton. 
Georgia, Yt., Oct. 27, 1853. 
Interesting Experiments with Manures. 
An experiment on raising Indian Com , by the use 
of various manures, in the year 1853, by II. H. 
Eastman, Marshall, Oneida Co., N.-Y. 
MANURES. 
Weight 
Kind used. 
Hoiv ap¬ 
plied. 
Quantity used. 
produced 
in the 
ear. 
No manure, 
lbs. oz. 
12.08 
'Compost.*. 
In hill',.... 
Half shovel full. 
25.12 
do 
Top of hill. 
do .... 
21.03 
Lime,. 
lii hill.f - - ■ 
Tablespoon full,.... 
11.12 
do .......... 
Top hi!!,.. 
do .... 
16 08 
Gypsum,. 
In hill. 
do .... 
1S.C0 
do . 
Top hill,.. 
do .... 
IS 03 
Ashes... .. 
In hill,.... 
do .... 
18.00 
do .. 
Equal p’ts lime. 
Top liili... 
do .... 
17.03 
gypsum, ashes. 
lit hill..... 
do .... 
19.00 
do ., 
Top hill. 
do ... 
17 00 
Guano. 
hi hill.f.'.. 
do .... 
10 08 
do ..,. 
Super-phosphate 
Top lull... 
do .... 
Two thirds of a table 
2*3.04 
of lime,. 
r ii hill,.... 
spoon full,. 
21.04 
do. 
Top hill,.. 
do 
17.08 
Poudretie, .... 
In hill;.... 
Large lable sp’n full, 
18.12 
do ... 
Top hill,.. 
do 
17.00 
Experiment in another part of the field—soil about the same. 
No manure. 
34 00 
Guano,. 
In hill,| .. 
Table spoon, full, .. 
27.00 
No manure,. ... 
34:00 
Super-phosphate 
of lime,. 
Inhill,.... 
Tablespoon full,... 
46 00 
Poudrette. ..... 
In hill,.... 
[>arge table sp’n full, 
40 00 
Remarks. —*The '•‘compost” used was composed of muck, 
and barn yard manure in equal parts, well roiled, and mixed' 
with half a bushel of gypsum to each load. 
fThe row on which the lime was applied in the hill pre¬ 
sented a sickly growth for the first few weeks. 
t hi the rows where the guano was applied in the hill, about 
one third of the seed was killed by it. The Cars on the row 
were large and heavy. Where the guano was applied on the 
hill, the seed all came up. • 
The rows in the first experiment, consisted of twenty- 
five hills each; in the second, forty-six hills each. Plant¬ 
ed 12th of May,on greensward, plowed eight inches deep. 
Soil of a calcareous nature. Cultivation as nearly alike 
as possible. Harvested from tho hill, 15th October, and 
weighed when harvested. The result shows— 
1. That barn-vard manure,- composted with muck 
and gypsum, and applied in the hill, is the most valua¬ 
ble manure. 
2. That lime, on a calcareous soil, produces no good 
effect. 
3. That guano, in its unadulterated state, is too pow¬ 
erful to be used in the hill in contact with the seed; 
but on top of the hill is a valuable manure. 1 applied 
