Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1853-02-25

mostly new land, and will bring 5 to bbls. per
acre subsoil stiff clay Any information you can
give will be thankfully received
Yours, A. SMITH JORDAN.
Replies By the Editor of the A,ner,can Farmer.
METZ obs OF FORMING COMPOSTS.
There is so much of the true spirit of generous
enterprise in the foregoing letter, that it gives us
pleasure to respond to the inquiries of its writer as
he who will undergo the labor and expense of rails
ing and composing from five TO ten thousand loads
OF marsh mud, with the view of converting it into
manure, in order that he may restore his land to
fertility deserves to receive all the lights which ex
perence or science throw across his pathway
1t he 'who makes two blades of grass grow where
but one had grown BEFORE" is entitled to be conSd
cred public benefactor, surely correspondent
is worthy of equal distinction. His example cannot
fail to exert happy influence throughout the
breadth and length of his ne ghborhood, if success
should attend his attempt in improving his land
and that success will attend his efforts if his swamp
mud" is properly composted we do not entertain the
scnllation of doubt. He says
." am preparing for heavy manuring anoth
er year. I am getting out large quantity OF
to inform which will be best, to compost it, or
haul it into the field and spread it, and then apply
lime or ashes which will be best and what quanti-
ty per acre %
To this question answer: 1t arH be best to
compost his swamp mud before applying it to his field
The reasons for which advice he will find in the
subsequent part of this paper All such substances
as stcdmp-mud, peat, rirer mud, acoOds mould and
tea Ues acoodS-mod and pine skaters, indeed all such
rough ANIMAL and vegetable bod1es should be excited
into the incipient state of decay before being used
as manure. 1t is not necessary that it should be
thoroughly decomposed, but it is absolutely
ry that the process Of decay be commenced before 1t is
applied. That state having been begun it will be
carried on BEAUTIFULLY after the compost may have
been ploughed into the ground in that condi-
tion it will attract and absorb the oxygen of the
air. through whose agency decomposition will be
continued till the good work shall have been COM
pleted
Our correspondent informs us, that he has 1000
bushels of ashes with that quantity, if they he of
the hardwoods, are unsaked, and have been pre-
served from the weather, he may excite 1000 loads
of his marsh mud into the incipent state of decay
We say thousand loads, because, Independent of
the potash which they contain-which will amount
to some II 900 lbs, there will be three other eff
cient agents at work to aid in carrying the pro-
cesses of fermentation, putrefaction and ultimate
ly, decomposition. In forming the compost heaps,
we would apportion to every twenty loads of marsh
mud bushel of plaster, and if the mud not
salt marsh mud, would add bushels of SALT in
solution. This would expedite fermentation, and
aid the plaster. in preventing loss from the escape
OF the ammoniacal cases. render the mass much
sooner fit for use, and make it intrnscally more
valuable for ammonia may be considered as the
true measure of the value in all organic manures ;
and such being the case, every pains should be
taken to prevent it being lost by evaporation
Theory would require larger quantity of ashes to
be used as the solvent of the body of mud named ;
but we apprehend that the estimate was based upon
the quantity of potash known to exist in given
quantity of ashes; there are, however, as we have
before promised, other substances in ashes, which
are active solvents, as Lime and Soda the first ex
listing in much larger quantity than does the potash
while there 1000 lbs of soda in the 1000 BUSH
els of ashes, if unslaked. of correspondent, if
made from Red Beech wood and 1000 lbs if made
from oak--the potash may be estimated at about
IL 900 lbs, and the lime at upwards of 900 lbs
or to reduce the lime into bushels, if made from the
first named wood, it may be computed at 25 per
cent, while, if from the latter, at upwards of II
per cent. Again,-Magnesia which notably abounds
in all ashes, possesses the property of solvent in
common with lime, potash and soda, though in q
less degree; but sufficiently to exert powerful
influence in promoting decomposition in vegetable
substances.
Having hitherto spoken of ashes made from the
hard acoods, shall now give the constituent ele-
ments of ashes made from pine -acood, there are
many parts of our country where such ashes will
have to be chiefly relied upon. We copy the fol-
lowing tables from Dana.
P1NE-lOO parts of dry wood afford only .S3 h.
of ashes of which 100 parts afford of soluble, so
of insoluble. So
100 parts of the soluble contain:
Carbonic Acid l3 so Potash and Soda, 6970
sulphuric Acid, $50 Water, 7.9O
lUO parts OF the 1nSOtubfe contain:
Carbonic Acid, l.5O Oxide of Iron, % 30
Phosphoric Acid, l.8O Oxide of Manganese, $50
Slick, 13. Lime, 27.20
Magnesia, $40
Berthisr gives the following Analysis of Pitch
Pine:
Silica, $50 Potash, A.l0
Oxide of iron, lilo Soda, 2O75
Oxide of Manganese, 275 Suphurc Acid, 345
Lime, 13 60 Phosphoric Acid, O9O
Magnesia, 4.35 Carbonic Acid. II 80
That our readers may be enabled to form an esti-
mate of the relative value of ashes, when made
from different kinds of wood both solUents, and
as improvers of the soil, we annex the following
table, the analyses of the three first were by
Sprengel, the last by Berthier:
Beech. Oak. Fir Pine
Silica, 5.52 1886 629 750
Alumina 233
Oxide of iron, 3T 8.A 17.03 lilo
Oxide of Manganese, 3S5 275
Lime, $500 IL 38 2S.IS 1850
NE.-- 0a