The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1859-07-20
ASHES AS A MANURE,

ASHES AS A MANURE.
Facts in agriculture. though of seeming
insign6cance. are always interesting and
valuable. 1t may scarcely seem necessary
to urge upon farmers the value of wood ash.
es as manure, or the advantages of their
application TO the sni as both lcached and
unleached ashes, within the last few years,
have become better appreciated for their fer
tilizng propcrties-yet it is the province Of
the agricultural press to give ..lne upon
lnc, and prrcept upon precept," to bring
forth Thoughts new and old FIR the rea-
sonable consideration Of its readers.
Ashes may be used with advantage To al.
most any class Of crops, bnt especially as
dressing for grass, grain and Indian corn,
though the immediate benefit Of ashes is
most perceptible on leguminous plants, such
as clover, peas. beans. &c. Ashes in some
respects acts like lime, consequently on thin,
poor soils they should not be applied in large
quantities unless vegetable matter is added
at the same time, as the effect is too stimu.
lailng and eAhaasting. They act like lime
~ having a tendency % give compactness to
light sandy sols, AID render heavy cley
soils light and lrlable. They serve, too, to
neutralize whatever super.abandance ol ac-
ids there may be in any soil.
AS top dressing 70 gra,., ashes are very
beneficial as 1t roots cut the moss and pro-
notes the growth Of white clover. Messy
meadows aud pastures may be renovated By
applying aspes aud plaster, (Gypsam.) There
are always natural grass seeds IN every soil,
lying ready for gefmination and growth as
suoi as the mahufidl or feeding clements d
the soil are ready Tor their development. On
THIS principle il is, that dressing Of lime or
ashes and plaster, viii bring into action
seeds Of white clover where white clover
plant was never known to have existed be.
fOre.
As an application to tie corn crop, ashes
have been found 10 be ii much value zap
Piled a. hill dressing about the time N the
ilrst hoeing-eaabling il to get better start
~ the early part nf the season, aud thus pre-
pairing it better 10 withstand the drnutii Of
mid.sammer. They not only cause the plants
to start vigorously. but enable them TO hold
that ,igOr uatil the fDnis attain size and
strength 10 serk. over larger proportion Of
the soil, the elements needed. We haze
noticed material difference IN the yield ut
corn fields. dressed aud undresscd, which
could oniy BE- attributed To- this fact. Some
FARMERS practice mixing salt with ashes as
top dressing tuf eurn. Bat whether beneficial
Or not We cannot s4s lrom experience: bnt
the better way, ae sfnlli think. wnIli Dc 10
use tue salt u tie compost heap where in
small quantities i might prove beneficial il
promoting the decomposition ol animal and
vegetable substances.
II has been asserted that ashes al twenty
five cents busHe are cheaper than phos-
phale Of lime At . cents per pound. Several
salts are necessary for iull growth and ma
/ lqrity Of The wheat plant. la using the su-
per-phusphate OF lime, the farmer uses but
one "E tie salts necessary far It's perfection,
but in the use Of ashes, he applies to his
land, beside. the several salts Of potash, more
or less OF other salts. M less valuable, ac-
cOrdins 10 otIii kind Of timber from which the
ashes were produced. Different wood, have
a very different proportion Of mineral con
s,ilucats, hence tier value as manure Is
yariable.
X l.rarhcd ashes produce nraflY the sane
eject with unic4shed, but largcr quantity
y generally required. There Are snils Ill
winch much alklli already exists; ii sucl,
tie soluble parts of ashes will be of little
values and the ieached remains mas be alto.
geihcr superior. lur- Few suils contain 81
mueh phosphoric acid as not to be improved
by its addition a. manure. They are Of toa
valuable a character 10 be sairred TO remain
unemployed as they have been--remaining
% large heaps on tie sites 0i the old ashcrIes
in many places in the country. We have
nUt the least doubt that every farmer will find
il mere profitable TO apply the ashes made
on lis premises to tie suli than to sell them
70 manufacturers III fifteen ur even twenty
cents prf bu.hri. Farmers are beginning 10
iscl more and more that tiiey must III sumc-
thing 10 enrich their farms. Let cot this
source u fertility be neglected, and lcl fur.
thrr experiments BE- made ID It's use.
EurH Ausr'eaH