The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-10-24
M;mskt 4atat4
From the Scientific american.

From the Scientific american.
In considering the growth of organ
isms, the action of the alkalies is to be
looked upon as scarcely less important
than that of air and water. Lime is
the great animal alkali, and potash the
vegetable one; its old name of vegeta-
BILE kali expressed that fact, and all the
potash of commerce is we'll known to
be derived from wood ashes. The i'm
portance of potash as manure has
been frequently overlooked by farmers,
who rarely know the large amount of
this material found in grass, grain, crops,
leaves, barnyard manure, roots, and
fruits. How potash acts in plants, in
conjunction with carbon and slick, to
form woody fiber, starch, sugar, and oil,
is vet unknown to chemical observers,
but the fact of it's action is beyond a
doubt. Liebig long since pointed out
that the chief cause of barrenness is
the waste of potash carried off by rich
crops, especially tobacco, with no re-
placement by proper manure. How
many millions of pounds of potash
have been sent to Europe from the for
ests of America, and in the grain,
tobacco, and hemp! Luckily one alkali
may be replaced by another, and we
have received a considerable quantity
of soda from European seaweed and in
the shape of salt. Latterly, nitrate of
soda from natural deposits in South
America is brought to us at cheap
price.
The point to which we now call
attention is that our farmers and fruit
growers have ignored, or rather been
ignorant of the Importance OF wood
ashes as vegetable stimulant and as
the leading constituent of plants. Even
coal ashes, now thrown away as use
less, have been shown, both by expert
ment and analysis, to possess fair
share of alkaline value According to
our observation, if the practice of put
ting a mixture of wood and coal ashes
around the stems of fruit trees and
vines, particularly early in the Spring,
were followed as general rule, our
crops of apples, grapes, peaches, ETC.,
would be greatly benefited in both
quality and quantity, and the trees and
vines would last longer. We will relate
only one experiment.
Some twenty-five years ago, we treat
ed an old hollow pippin apple tree as
follows: The hollow, to the hight of
eight feet, was filled and rammed with
a compost of wood ashes, garden mold,
and a little waste lime (carbonate).
This filling was securely fastened in
by boards. The next year, the crop of
sound fruit was sixteen bushels from an
old shell of tree that had borne moth
ing of any account for some time. But
the strangest part was what followed.
For seventeen years after the filling,
that old pippin tree continued to flourish
and bear well.
Let US call attention to still another
point of Importance in fruit raising.
This is the bearing year for apples and
fruit in general in New England prob
ably it is also in some other parts
Now when such years come, the farm
ers rejoice too much at their prosperity
and abuse it, as nearly all people do the
gifts of fortune. We should be tent
perate as to the quantity of our fruit
as well as of fruit juices. By proper
trimming and plucking, the apple crop
in bearing years may be reduced to but
little more than half crop as to num-
Der, but the Improvement in size and
price, and in the future effect, will more
than balance the loss Next February,
March, or April, according to latitude,
let the tree trimmer stimulate and nour-
ish his trees and vines with fair sup
ply of ashes; and in nearly every case
he will have good crop of fruit in the
non-bearing year.