Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-09-20
Ashes and Plaster ON Woat.

( The profit in farming is all made
from growing large crops. A tar
mcr cannot make any clean money
out of fifteen bushels OF wheat to the
acre, or out of thirty bushels of
corn to the acre, or twenty bushels
of oats, or ton of hay; nor from
pastures which afford just about
feed enough to keep animals from
growing poor. Don't his own ex-
periencc prove it to himself beyond
question? Yet there are more far
mers that fall below these figures
than there are that go higher. This
the census returns prove, by show
ing an average yield Of less per
acre, the State through, than We
have noted above. II farmers
own experience don't satisfy him
on. this point, there is nothing that
we can say that will convince him
that he is making no progress.
Surely, when man has labored
along for a dozen years or more, he
ought to have something to show
for it. He may say that he has
lived and supported his family, but
that is not enough-he ought not
to be satisfied with that. If he had
set his wits at work, and increased
the produce of his farm one-thlrd-
Which without doubt he might have
done-he would to-day have some
thing more to boast of than the
making Of a bare living.
To show how easy thing it is to
increase the yield Of wheat, we will
relate y simple experiment made
with ashes and plaster, by Mr.. Hir-
am Lockwood, of Burr Oak, St.
Joseph Co., Mich. Mr.. Lockwood
is one of the most thorough and
prosperous farmers in this section;
and It is no fattery to say that this
is q result Of careful observation
and close attention to business, Civ
ing everything his personal over
sight and superintendent. Hay
ing hogshead of house ashes last
Fall, he thought he would try the
experiment Of mixing plaster with
them and sowing on wheat. Ac-
cordingly he mixed a barrel ofplas-
ter with the ashes, making about
onNthird of the former to two-thirds
Of the latter. He sowed at the rate
Of about fifty pounds to the acre, on
one side of a wheat field, the wheat
being fairly up. A couple of show
ers came upon it soon after sowing,
and the effect of the application was
very soon visible in the deeper col
or and more vigorous and rapid
growth Of the grain on the part to
which the mixture had been applied.
This difference in appearance and
growth was maintained through the
Fall. This Spring the plants on
that portion took q more decided
start ahead of the rest Of the field,
the line of separation being distinc-
thy seen from a distance.
This reminds US Of the expert
ment made by Franklin with plas-
ter on clover, when he introduced
it from France, sowing strip with
it through a clover field, and ex-
hibiting to his neighbors the very
salutary effects which the increased
growth made so plain. Mr.. Lock
wood states that the difference in
favor of the ashes and plaster was
plainly observable at harvest time,
attracting the notice of all engaged
IN the field. The soil is A sandy
loan, rather heavy, with a gravelly
sub-soil - common bur-Oak soil,
familiar to most Western farmers.
Mr.. L. is emphatic in favor of ashes
and plaster on his soil. Now the
question arises, how much would
the ashes made in the State increase
the yield of the wheat crop? Con-
siderably, without doubt. This
is only one of the many ways by
which the general Agriculture Of
the country may be improved. 1t
is simple means which every far.
mer and gardener in the land may
use to better pay him for his labor
and investments, at a trifling pro-
portionate outlay. He who lives by
the land must make the land full of
fairness; and how to do this the most
effectually, must be his constant
study and labor.
Wood ashes contain eight or nine
times as much lime as patash, and
half as much phosphoric acid as
potash, as we'll as good proportion
Of soda and magnesia-an very i'm
portant ingredients in grains and
grasses. Leached ashes are nearly
as valuable as those unleached on
most soils. Therefore let no ashes
go to waste or be sold off the farm.
Tribune.