Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-05-12
lSelscte for the Delaware Tribune.l
Wood AAhna

Practical farmers assert that leached ashes
are preferable as manure to unleacbed.
Various reasons may be assigned for this
Quick lime IS always mingled with the con-
tents of the leach-tub to prepare the potash
for dissolving the fat, otherwise mere pearl
ash or salpratus would result, and soap
could not result such ley. The remnant Of
caustic potash that cannot be leached eco
nomically, is mora potent in preparing plant
food than the whole would have been it a
mere salt of potash. mingled with the insol-
uble silicates and phosphates which always
abond in the ashes of hard wood. Some edu-
Gated men know enough of chemistry to en-
able them to doubt the importance of lime in
the above relation, although backed by the
experience of all their grandmOthers and the
opinion of an expert-any explanation ofthe
above to such is superfluous, and to the un-
educated such authority is sufficient.
Again. many wiseacres suppose that a
mere mixture of sirasfurth or other salts OF
potash and phosphates, &c. will make an
equivalent for wood ashes as manure-and
another popular error is fosteTed by scrib-
hlers in agriculture of late-that sea salt and
quick lime liberate soda. when mingled
thus not only fostering false notion about
salts, whether of potash or soda, but de-
ceiving the ignorant with the apparent rela-
tion of soda as manure, from its similarity
to potash in producing soap and glass. Salts
of soda may be substituted for potash with
the same sort of result that attends the sub
stiiution of the jack ass for the horse, except
upon asparagus aud sea plants. Pound
cake ia not a mere mixture of eggs, butter,
flour, &C. nor would the same effect resul. II
each was swallowed separately; moreover
the cook deserves some CT edit when an
upncuallv xpbnlnanmn raka
with the best materials. Unleached ashes
like sharp tools, may not be safely used
by children; nevertheless corn may he thus
manured in the hill, and perhaps tarred
and rolled therein, especially during q wei
season when the rain dilutes 1t so as tC
nourish the plant but seed potatoes thus
treated are inevitably destroyed, however
valuable the strongest ashes when sprInk.
led over the manure, especially if musty
One man rolled his seed potatoes in guaIO
and the result was an extraordinary crop
whereas, another using the same guano il
the same way and upon similar soil, failed
to produce single plant, because in the lat
ter case the potatoes were freshly cut wher
the guauo was applied whereas, In thu
former case they were wilted for a week
An experienced orchardst directed nv at
tention to one of my dwarf pears, the stem
of which was covered with moss and rouei
bark. and advised scrubbing with ashe,
and lime or strong lev. can endorse thi
prescription, as used it with great success
in rejuvenating many pear treas-slushins
the concentrated mixture freely over thts
whole stem and its base. One of these, ,
fine Duchess, had so far deprecated, that III
fruit did not exceed much the size of a hem
egg-he actually pronounced 1t Doyenne-
but now 1t excels in producing large ant
highly colored fruit.
DAVID STEWART, M. d.
Port Penn, april 5, 1870.