Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1844-04-26
them, as to neglect to fix deep and definite
principles in the mind of the child, because
he has not immediate use for them.
DA N AS
PRIZE ESSAY ON MANURES.
SECTION TWELFTH.
Ashes.

ther enter into and form part of the plants, ur
which, by the action of their acid or base, act on
the earthly parts of soil, or upon the mould.
Salts either poison or nourish plants. The first,
like the medicines we take, are good in small
doses /; the second can hardly injurc, even by
their excess. II we rccur To the principle with
which we set out early in this essay, that the
ashes of plants contain all their salts, then right
ly to know what salts are likely TO produce
good effects as manure, we should first study
the composition Of ashes We have in ashes a
great variety of substances. They come from
The soil. They form part Of plants. The
dead plant returns them again 10 their mother
earth, or we, losing the volatile parts Of a plant,
its mould and ammonia, by burning, collect its
salts as ashes. Let us see what these salts are
made of. In the first place, you know all salts
are composed of an acid and base.
The bases are, The acids are,
Potash and soda, Carbonic, or carbon united
Lime, to oxygen.
Magnesia, Phosphoric or phosphorus,
Clay, do. do.
Iron, Sulphuric, or Suphur do.
Manganese, Muriatic, essentially com.
Slick, or earth of fnts. posed OF chlorine.
Now if we throw out the carbonic acid, which
has been formed in burning, we have left in
ashes, three acids, which are united with the
bases, and may form the following salts in plants.
namely Gaubcr's salt, EPSON salt, common
table-sat, bone. dust, salt of lime, and what
we may term bone.dust salt of iron, or phos-
pia,e of non, plaster Of Paris, or gypsum, cop.
peras alum, and some other salts, which need
not be enumerated. Our list comprises the
principal, and those most likely to be used in
farming. Well, now, the lesson to be drawn
from this composition of ashes is this, that there
is scarcely any salt occurring in commerce,
Hal ko eol in aaA
of those found in ashes. In fact, almost all salts
which occur in large way as refuse materials
from manufactures or other sources, have been
used, and all with greater or less success, az
manures. And if you cast your eye over the
acids and bases of common ashes, this seems
quite reasonable. 1t is not expected that
plain farmer, possessing little or no chcmca
knowledge, should be able to tell beforehand,
what the effect of salt would be, applied to
his land but if he understands what the COM
position of ashes is, he may be sure that in any
quantity in which the salt is likely to occur, it
cannot be injurious, provided it is mixed up with
plenty Of mould, and little ashes or alkall,
which will kill, or neutralize any excess Of the
poisonous acid.
In ashes, VIC have one part which may be
leached out, and part which remains after
teaching, called spent ashes. Let us see then
in teaching, what part we take away. First, we
take away all the acids, except the phosphoric.
Secondly, we take away near y all the potash
and soda. What is left! The phosphoric acid,
and all the bases. 1t is evident, therefore, that
the strength of ashes can never be wholly leach
ed out, if that depends upon the salts. In spent
ashes we have nearly all the homo dust left;
and besides this, a portion OF what IS usually
considered the real strength, that is, the potash
This is chemically united to certain OF the 9th
| n, constituents IF ,sbas Won cannot leach il
out. Upset your tubs, shovel over your
spent ashes, mix it up with fermenting manure,
where plenty Of fixed air is given of. Here
is the secret of the value of spent ashes, so far
as the potash or ley strength is concerned
| This exposure to air, to carbonlc acid, let's
loose the potash, which was chemically com.
bined with other matters. Water would never
| have done this. Mark. now, a practical lesson
taught here by chemistry, and confirmed by ex-
perence. Leached ashes must nerer be used on
,cel soil, If we want its alka'i to act. The close
wet soil, perhaps even half covered at tunes
with water, excludes the air. The carbonlc
acid of air, that which alone extracts the alkali
from spent ashes, cannot here act. There is
this other lesson to be learned from these facts,
that il is chiefly the alkaline action which 10
wanted from spent ashes. Hence no one who
thus understands the source, and the true value
of ashes, will allow the alkaline portion 10 be
first eached out, unless he can lind more
economical use for it than its application as a
fertilizer. Perhaps no fact speaks louder, that
The great action Of spent ashes is that OF ITS pot
ash, than this, that where we prevent that from
beng extracted, the spent ashes are OF little
J value. Ii then spent ashes derive their grca'
value from the potash, much more will unledch'
ed ashes derive their value from their potash
Now, reader, the point to which have /. |
you in these remarks, is this: that the morea''
kane anv salt is, the better is il for manure
Hence, as a general rule about the use OF salts
il NAV be laid down tina, the alkaline salts, tina
is, potash pearlash, common ashes, barilla ash
es, white, or soda ash are the best. And as
these, in all their various shapes, are the cheap
est and most common articles, SO you need no
run after long list of other salts. Next in val
nc to the real akaies, are spent ashes, used il
j a light, porous, open, sandy soil, It you woul'
derive the greatest benefit from them. Mex
4 to these comes peat ashes. You well know
these are of no value to the soap maker. Blu
not so to you. They show only traces OF aka
line power. But treat them as you did spen
ashes. Their power, independent of their bone
y dust, which is by no means small, and thei
t plaster, which is still greater, and their lime
= which is perhaps the greatest, lies IN the dlkdl
@ which is locked up, as It is in spent ashes
r Treat them, therefore. as you did spent ashes
and then peat ashes will, and do afford, alkal
' So too coal ashes, even your hard anthracite
ashes, yield all the substances which spent ash
7 es do. |: is easily seen, therefore, when, how
: and where, spent ashes, peat ashes, coal ashes
!, are most likely to do good Perhaps we ma
y not have better place to state the fact. that
# cord OF soapboiler's spent ashes contain abou
80 lbs. of potash When we add to this, IL
lbs of bone dust, and about ton and half c
;. chalk, or carbonate of lime, which acts chief
y on the soil. and so comes not now under consid
Grafton, it is seen that there is no cheaper sourc
e of alkali and salts, to one within REASONABLE
d car,ing distance Of soapboler, than spen, ash
d es. They are mari, hone-dust, plaster, and a
IS kali comblned.
m ITO be coninued)
In