The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-03-19


After using ashes ON my farm for many
consider them a valuable fertilizer for
grass or grain. Lave used very large
quantities of leached ashes, generally
applying them to land to be seeded
down. I prepare the ground for sow-
ing; then spread 100 or $50 bushels of
leached ashes to the acre, then SOW
wheat, barley, or oats, as the case may
be, and seed down, narrowing thorough
ly, and when the crop natures 1 am
always pleased with the result. use 80
bushels of mleached ashes to the acre.
Ashes, whether leached OF unleached,
make very fine top dressing for mead
ows and pastures, and in every case
where I have used them the result for
grain or grass has been very satisfactory,
there being large increase in both
quantity and quality of grain or grass.
My mode of using ashes for corn is to
apply them TO the top of the hill before
the corn comes up. As soon as the corn
is planted ! put about gill of unleach-
ed ashes on the top Of each hill, always
preferring to get my corn ashed before a
rain, so that the first shower will. carry
the potash from the ashes down into the
hill for the corn roots to feed upon. l
apply in the same way for potatoes. 1t
takes, as 1 apply them, from Is to 20
minutes to the acre, and think the ash
es thus used are worth half Il dollar per
bushel. am satisfied that ashes, eithC r
leached or unleached, are the best
fertilizers the farmer can use. For i'm
mediate effects l know of nothing that is
equal to them, and they are also lasting
They do not leach through the soil like
manure, but after an application is made
to grass or grain the following crops for
many years will show the results.
should Judge that the relative value
of Ieached ashes would be about one
half that of unleached. While the leach
ing of ashes extracts most of the potash
from them, it leaves them rich in nitre,
which, us a fertilizer, is very valuable.
1t is claimed that to mix ashes and plaster
together makes the mixture worthless,
the one neutralizing the fertilizing
qualities of the other. If any one doubts
it, he can try it and satisfy himself.
Bark Bursting Of Nursery Trees.
In response to the inquiry of an ex-
tensive nurseryman whose two-year-old
trees had extensively bursted the bark Mt
the usual point-iust above the crown
during the past fall, and while still max
ing rapid growth, the College Quarterly
says: "This bark bursting of young
trees, with q large proportion of newly
formed cell structure In their trunks,
may occur at any time from the middle
of September to the middle of March,
when the conditions are present as to
sudden of moisture ut season of depri-
walton of water by drought, or severe
freezing In this special case of severe
drought of August and first half Sep
TENDER was followed by sudden flooding
of the tissues with water during the CO.
pious rains in that section the last of Sep
TENDER. We have long believed that O
sudden supply of water, after period of
unusual deprivation had something to
do with the rupture of nursery trees and
also with the bursting of such fruits as
the tomato, grape, cherry, etc.
Prof. Bessey informs us that the re-
searches of German biologists shed much
light on the exact manner in which the
injury occurs. The protoplasm of new
Informed cells is in some respects like
glycerine in its capacity for absorption
of water. In its sudden imbibation, as
the Germans express it, Of water, after
season of scant supply, an actual swell
ing of the tissues takes place somewhat
like the swelling of sponge as it alb
serbs water, The sudden imbibation of
large amounts of moisture through the
bark near the earth's surface, added to
the liberal supply from the roots conse-