The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-03-21
Coal Ashes for Wheat Lands.

say that coal ashes, plowed in and
under, and stable or barn yard manure
spread on the surface of wheat fields,
would not act benefcially upon all OF
nearly all soils, whether they were rich
in nitrogen and vegetable matter OF
not; still it is not the writer's purpose
in this article to go over the whole
ground, but rather to confine himself to
Gght-colored clay and magnesia soils.
such as characterize considerable
part of the prairie and timbered wheat
soils and lands of no small portion OF
the States of Missouri, Arkansas, Indi-
ana and Illinois. Whilst the black
prairie soils, the corn soils, par e1cel-
lence, whether they lie in Texas or
father north or east, have too much
nitrogen and humus in their compost
ton to produce good crops of wheat
after the third or fourth one has been
taken off, unless they are subjected and
submitted to special course of pre-
liminary treatment. which reduces the
amounts both of humus and nitrogen,
the white and yellow clays, after bear
ing two or three similar crops, require
an addition of these substances, in the
form of some amendment or fertilizer,
which has a tendency to improve the
mechanical texture of the soil, by rem
dering it less compact and indurated,
and the surface addition of manure OF
some kind to supply the needed quaint
ty Of nitrogen.
Thus, in Southern Illinois, and espe-
cially on the post-oak flats and yellow
and white clay soils, and magnesia
lands, light coating of manure spread
on wheat-fields any time after seeding,
or in the winter season, increases the
growth Of straw and yield of grain out
Of all proportion to what might be log
icaIly inferred from the quantity APP
piled. And where barn or stable ma
nure is not to be had. or where it is
tough and used by the truck-patch
men, who find market for these vege-
tables among the workmen gathered
in the mining towns within the coal
districts, it has been ascertained that
the ashes Of coal-slack spread literally
on the surface previous to the prelimi-
nary blowing for the wheat-crop pro-
duces results nearly equally surprising.
Not only do these coal ashes improve
the texture and mechanical condition
of the soil. but they evidently contrib
ute some Important element of plant
food, or perhaps some of their cOnstit-
uent elements act as solvent to sub
stances already in the soil, and in that
way benefit the wheat-plant; for it has
already been established by repeated
experiments that a three-inch coating
of coal ashes spread on the surface be-
fore blowing acts as successfully and
surely as stable manure spread after
sowing, or during the winter months.
All through the coal mining districts
and counties of the States named above
there have accumulated vast piles of
these wastes of the coal mines, and the
problem has been how to get rid Of
them with the least possible expense to
the operators of the mines. and the as
certainment of the fact that they have
considerable value as an amendment
and fertilizer to the soils lying about,
and that they will be, sooner or later,
so used and consumed, may be regard
ed in the light Of great public benefit.
So also in the heavily-timbered por-
tions of the States named, where saw
mills have been established for long,
er or shorter term, employed in work
ing up the timber in shape to go upon
the market of the country, there are to
be seen great piles of wood ashes, which
have heretofore been considered of SO
little value that they have been allowed
to accumulate, till, like coal-slack, they
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