American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1858-12-16
Lsachsd Ashes- their eOmpara-

Leached Ashes-1 sheir eOmPara-
tn.Ntalua.
EpIroR ONO FARMER:-A soap maker
followed his business some ten or iftesn|
years in this town. and some seven or
eight years ago he abandOnedit and moved
10 the West. He left at his establishments
an immense mound Of wood ashes, which
he had thrown aside year by year after
extracting the ley. 1t is supposed the
ashes must be thoroughly leachsd IS well
by the arIifeisl process through which.
they passed as by the annual rains, from
which they have moi been protected.
Now will you have the kindness to tell
Four readers what is the relative value as
. mspuIe. Of lsaohed ito unleAched ashes;
and your humble servant whether the
above heap of snpsr carefully lsacbed ash
es is Of much value on Of sd6ieient value
topay for hAuling hem some three or
four miles into The country. The chief
constituents of wood ashes must be known
to chemists and perhaps to most we'll ed
uoated farmers. Do they know which OF
them are lost by the teaching process. and
the proportions in which they are lost?-
Have coal ashes any value As mannFef--
As they are the.prodpce,, like wopd-ashes.
Of Ihe combtsIiou Of D. vegetable sub
stance. It is to be presumed they baye val.
us.-X. Y, ChiIIicothe November 3oth.
RsMAREs.--If the ashes are thoroughly
leached, theifxsIue, as manure is small
as the potash and with il ell tie soluble
silicates,i are removed. The charcoal,
which all such ashes contains, fixes the
volatile ammonia Of the atmosphere, and
is beneficial 10 the soil. The silica or
fine sand, which constitutes the great mass
Of leaehed ashes, is only useful 10 the same
way as common fine sand. As such is Of
use on stiff clay soils deficient in sand. We
doubtif The benefit derivable from the ap-
plication of such sshss would pay the eye
psnse Of dfay,ng thsm three Or four miles.
On soma soils there might bsa slight effect
prolhced on gotheEss none. Some soap
makers Rsed TO mix a aquautity Of Inn.
with thor ashes for thA purpose OF making
the ley more causttc, but 1yinging several
years exposed to the weather would change
this into carbonate. and in this state il is
i of little use.-ED. o. r. r. ,...a,
4 We clip the above from the Ohio Far
mea and must acknowledge We are some
what surprised at the remarks Of our wOr'
\ thy fliend Mr.Brown, We have'experimsn'
ted with both leached wood ashes and th'
ashes Of stone coal and found them both L
be Yery valuable fertilizers. Leached ash
es contain from 40 to 81 per cent Of lin
and 80 to 40 per cent Of carbonic acid
while they contain but from 8 to 5 pc
cent Of silica or sand; they contain ais
Magnesia, phospboric acid DO, all 0
which are valuable fertilizers; PARTICULAR.
: for clay aud sour.lands- Coal ashes diffe
in composition having less lime, ant
more msgnesiR, the large amount Of burn
coal or coke found in coal ashes is n
|, doubt one cause Of their beneficial action
> this coke is nearly as pure carbon as char
: coal and acts the part Of thief. By absorb
ing and stealing from the atmosphere am
monia and other .fertilizing gasAea an
giving itup for the benefit Of vegetation.
Both kinds OF ashes haye 4 beneficial eI
: feet In making clay lands more spongy an
friable; but their effect is not 60 strikin
!. and immediate as various organic manure
but much more enduring, and lasting