Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1869-12-02
farm \ firesiae,
The sciance Of Manures.
THIRD LETTER FROM DIR. STEWART 10 ME-
coURBEY.

ru,pp LETTER FROM DIR. STEWART, 10 Mh.
ooURsRY.
To Mr.. T. B. CouRsEY I'm burning corn
,,alks or straw, and especially during the
c,mbustion of wood, The CLASSY covering OF
the former is rendered soluble in water, as
indicated in my last letter.. 6. that winch
descr;bcd as iusoluble and worthless silica
becomes soluble by fusion with potash,
which is also a necessary constituent OF all
ashes of INLAND plants, both being derived
exclusively from the soil and determining
certainly and inevitably by their abundance
therein whether nutritious grasses or COCA
timber shall grow thereon. Much more 40
thew determine whether any other manure
shall have its appropriate effect, or pay
when drilled with cereals. Thus we account
for the tact of frequent occurrence-that the
best Peruvian guano and the best superphos-
pilates not emily fail entirely to reproduce
the same effect, but sometimes fail to pro-
duce Any effect, or. aoorse Ststt, actually |
impoverlsh the land where applied. We
have stood almost alone in teachingthl doc |
trine during the past twenty years. Now
that it is demonstrated by Voelcker, IN
ENGLAND, its practical value will be recog-
nized, perhaps
In teaching ashes in the usual mannerthe
caustic lime that is added insures the solu-
bility of this silica, or sand (Which has served
AS the frame of the planD from which the
ashes resulted thus it is that flashes actually
become more valuable for agricultural pur-
poses after being leached"-certainly not by
losing their potash. do not wish to en-
courage the burning of any vegetable matter
in order to these results, however valuable
ashes may be, except in the case OF corn
cobs.) We can indicate more economical
appropriation of all vegetable refuse on the
farm. AS the questions have promised to
answer refer to the results OF analysis, this
letter will embrace these results, and may
defer the former for another week, when l
will close the series.
Potash and Phosphoric acid characterize
the ashes of all cereals and nutritious grasses
and their absence from any soil is indicated
in three ways, first, the spontaneous growth
of worthless heritage; End, the partial or
total failure of cereal crops with the best
cultivation drainage climate and other ma
nure, such as plaster; ammonia. nc; Sd, tle
fact that no corn crop can succeed timothy
ON such land. The best corn crops succeed
timothy in the upper portions of this State
where the potash rocks abound, or the
clay actually becomes " richer when crop
ped in timothy, yielding two tons per acre
for several years as the best preparation for
csrn. 1t is seldom that any mistake is made
in the application of lime and phosphates TO
such land, but, unless land will bear " the
timothy test, much money may be wasted
la these fertilizers that arc not followed with
a spring dressing OF good ashes or some
compost such as we will indicate that yields
Potash in cheap form, and sufficiently CON
centrated to authorize hauling greater dis
lance than green sand or potash marie. In
your letter you refer to the mineral theory
of Baron Liebig with regard to the indica-
tions derived from the ashes of plants and
the fact that this has been discarded. Wher
first published in 1911, or nearly 80 years
since. / adopted this as the only satisfacto
ny and rational basis for all composts ant
have never seen any good reason fo
changing with all the scientific world ant
the rest of mankind either with regard t
this or the value of soil analysis. The rea
soning of Laws and Pusey which satisfied
others was absurd to me based on expert
ment which proved the value of the sol
rather than the inefliciency of the manure o
Liebig. Now it appears that the tables hay
turned The last news from England an
nounces that Professor Noecker has demon
strated by actual experiments at Cirehceste
not only with reference to the..crops but ais
the Composition Of the soil ascertained b
analysts, that Potash is the 'sine gu
nom" L was not fully aware Of the inror
with which soil analysis was repudated un
Ill INST with he late Prof. johnson Of Eng
land at a select dinner party where Ii
secuted the idea that such estimates wer
possible 2!
Now, backed by the hest authority il
the world | may reassert the opinion thu
any farmer can determine the presence
these elements in his soil without profe:
sonal aid, by the character of its products
their quantity and quality. Such prof
cheney has been attained that these element
are no longer questioned, but are used {
question the character of soils--precisely til
same certainty with which some medicine
determine the condition OF the patient or til
strength of the diathesis. No one question
Tartar Emetic but its tolerance" indicate
strong dathcsis or serious derangemen
So 1t is now in agriculture. No one doubt
the value of potash and phosphoric aciC
&c, and it is only necessary to select til
crops which require more Of one than al
other of these elements. The stalks
wheat yield l54 per cent. OF ashes (l5. 81
those Of oats 442 or less than ; per cen
The corn cob yields about per cent.
ashes, &C. All Of these are Of the san
composition. 10 bushels of wheat 10 l2t
pounds of straw remove / So or nearly
pounds of potash-the ashes OF the lQav
of trees is richer in potash than the Voc
100 pounds Of the leaves Of the oak vie
. pounds Of ashes, only one fourth
which is soluble in watcr-the same qua
iity of pine leaves only yield 30 or about
per cent, 0. iG or less than half OF one y
cent. soluble-ihis accounts for the we
known fact that tire pine spontaneously su
ceeds after the oak deprives the soil
potash. As the ashes of wheat in relate
TO the ash Of its straw is about the sume
all other cereals, we will give it in order
show the value Of the farm compost and
supplement, or the compost Of morgan
materials.
10 bushels of wheat yield ~ pounds
ashes, whereas y pounds of ash result frt
the corresponding proportion, 200 pount
of straw. Nearly one-eighth of the ashes
the straw is
Potash, OSa7
Silica, i7.16
Phosphoric acid, 0922
Sulphuric acid, Hi..0
Other elements, 9i5