Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1861-04-19
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Wood Ashes.

The opinion has become quite prevalent.
,ha, leachcd wood ashes have nearly the
zane value a. unlsaehed. This is evidenily
a great mistake, particularly when potash
!. the ingredient required for the crop. IL
!, true ,hA, all the inorganic constituents
contained in wood ashes are in Progressed
1rm, and. therefore. have greAter value
than when taken iron lower forms IN na'
ture an4 il I. to ihi. fac, that their eject
asa manure. 4. attributed, and not to the
potash that they contain. tor the lifi'ia'ion
rrmsye. all the soluble potash 80 thorough
". a. 70 render them nearly or quite value
lc.. in that particular. unleaehed WOOD
.,hs.. however. have grea. value to the far
nsr they 20, only supply the valuable
Constituent. Of plants. iPo,ash) but pre-
ei.ely In the state In which IL can readily De
.rrropria,ed by them and. in addition to
his. il. rover to decOmpO-r both the organic
and inorganic elements Of the soil Is very
r-ca,. So-e chemists have .nPPo-ed ,ha,
ground feldspar. because 1t contains thirteen
rer cent. Of potash. ~oGls supply ,hi. ele-
men, to plants. Thi. y an error. however !.
the potash Of ,sld.par i' no. IN progressed
condition. never having been in organic li'e,
and therefore, cannot feed plants Of high
or class.
On thi. subject Won rhaer seen, TO have
fAlloa into . strange error buts,in to have
observed the fact, that wood ashes have q
greater value than potash IN more rrimi-
tive form. lie says. " Ashes must contain
.,ne peculiar and hitherto undiscovered
ns,.rr. which gives to them an action 70
much more esicaciou. than ihs, ofan equal
quantity Of the same earth which they con-
tain. and taken in another state. u Is pos
.ible tha, some portion Of vegetable lie re-
mains 10 them which We are unable u ap-
precia,e or discover"
n Won Thasr had eIperimentsd with
weighed quantities Of ashes, he might have
discovered tha, .he a.he. Of burnt hay
...ek are more valuable than those Of burnt
wood. and that the potash liIiviaisd from
the ashes OF higher organisms, had greater
value ior agricultural purposes than that
separated. BY any process whatever, from
apy Of the rock. containing It. No hfmer
can Afford TO sell his asbes a, twenty-five
cents Ter bu.hsl. provided he hA. coil not
rrple,s with potash, and still we End the
soap boiler. buying ashes at farm hOa'a'
al over the country. Ashes taken from ar
,i,h, stove. i. Of = superior quality the
potash. no, being volatile, remains IN the
stove. while the other Pornons'of the ash
are carried BY the draf, into the chimney
and thu. a, the end Of season the ashes
from an air tight stove. in which wood has
ben buried. are nearly pure potash.
Dressing, Of A.hes around gr,rs vines
rear ucc-. etc. are Of high value, and soils
,o,-drs..ei with ashes. never suffer grain
crop. Of any kind to lodge the ''leI OF the
.,,l !. changed INTO .lieaie Of potash. and
.upplies ,hi. soluble sili,Aie to give coating
ana strength to the straw, thus enabling u
Z, hold the gram Perfect grain cannot te
proiuecd On an imperfect plant and moth
in. tend. more 10 perfect the cereals, than
the presence Of phosphate Of lime and pot
ash. in the condition 10 which il exists in
wood ashes.