Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1869-04-07
for the farmer.
E,nerimsuts with Coal Ashes.

So~A
It's generally thought in the country that
tie ashes of mineral coal are not only useless
~ a fertilizer aud improver of the soil. but
that, on the contrary, they are hurtful.
Hence, you see that farmers reject these
ashes. greatly to the detrimvnt of agrlcul-
ture, while quantities of them might be
procured with no other cost than that OF
gathering them
L is, therefore, interesting to report an
experiment undertaken by correspondent
of the journal de 7 agriculture. lie hlied
in the fall three flower pots with pure btu
miuous coal ashes. without mixture of any
kind and sowed in the first wheat in the
second oats. and in the third some straw
berry seed These pots were buried in
bed in his garden and leftto themselves
The germination took place successfully
during the winter, and in March following
the plants presented fine appearance. In
April, the wheat, oats, and strawberry plants
we're in fine growth. The wheat and oats
ripenel perfectly; the berries were large,
clear, very well filed and heavy. The wheat
straw attained height of more than fifty
four inches, that Of the oats forty three
inches. As to to the strawberry plants, they
came on finely. and continued to grow well
until October, when it became necessary to
transplant them. Set out in open ground,
they are now the greenest and tie strongest
of all the seedlings.
Thus it is seen, without the addition of
either soil or manure, coal ashes were suffi
cient in itself, according to this trial, to
nourish and bring to maturity both wheat
and oats, and to support the growth of straw
berry plants during year Coal ashes, from
its nature, should effect division of soils.
and be very useful in overcoming the stiff
ness of compact land; it would, then, at the
same time, act as a manure and an improver.
This moreover, should be the case, judg-
ing, not only by the experiment just de-
scribed, but from analysis made by several
chemists, among others Davy, who found
that the ashes contained, in proportions
varying with the localities whence the Goals
sulphates Of potassa and lime, carbonate of
lime, clay and silica
The above experiments have been co-ob-
orsted, m part, in my own experience. /
have found it to pay well the trouble and ex-
pense Of hauling coal ashes distance of
four miles. The ashes should be screened
before spreading upon tie fields The clnk-
ers and cinders are of more service on roads
on cultivated land Stiff soils are benefited
more by coal ashes than any others Their
application tends to loosen them which
alone would make them more productive, if
they did nothing else. On an acre, sown
with oats, l applied coal ashes, and the
yield of grain was better and the straw much
ranker than on any other part of the field
Though it has generally been alleged that
these ashes possess no fertilizing properties,
experience, as we'll science, clearly proves it
to be erroneous. They do possess enough to
make it pay to gather them in large quanti-
ties. Especially are coal ashes in towns and
cities valuable, because some proportion of
wood is always consumed with coal. Thev
can alwa ays be had for the t.ouble of hauling.
and IN the winter months the expense of
doing so is not great, because teams then
have little to do They should be used for
top dressing grass lands and meadows, and
all other soils that are tough and stiff-Er
Farm Journal