Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1880-05-25
SOMETHING ABOUT COAL ASHES.
By SYLVIA A. MOSS.


end of it; along where the brook once
flowed was a space two or three feet wide
that was lower than the remainder Of the
garden. Ny neighbors and myself had
plenty of old bottles and pieces Of glass
and crockery, together with large heaps
of coal ashes. conceived the idea OF
utilizing and identifying these things,
and at the same time add to the good
looks Of the garden.
About this time a sturdy tramp appear
ed at the door and asked for a dinner,
saying he was willing to work and pay
for it but had no money. | told him my
plan about the garden, which was to put
all the rubbish in the space of which |
have spoken and then cover it over with
coal ashes. He said he was accustomed
to heavy dirty work and would do it glad
". / further told him he should have
the best dinner l could get, and the re-
mainder Of his pay in money. He ate his
dinner with a relish, and with the aid of
large wheelbarrow had, in about four
hours, entirely changed the looks Of the
garden. l paid him thirty-seven cents M
money, for he had worked like hero.
When my husband returned he allowed
that the garden did look better, but
though, had paid rather high for four
hours work
When planting time came my husband
planted that part of the garden himself,
and by my request planted two rows OF
potato hills across these ashes, using a
very small quantity of manure in each
hill. He, however, remarked that he had
no idea the potatoes would ever come up.
When early potatoes were fifty cents a
peck in market, dug these hills of Po-
/
tatoes; the variety was the Early Rose.
The hill containing the least number had
over twenty in it, and the hill containing
the largest number had thirty-two; some
of them were large and nice, all were
large enough to cook and were withou,
blemish We had potatoes planted in
three other places in the garden, but none
of them yielded more than half the num-
Der of those planted in the coal ashes.
A neighbor of ours was lamenting his
luck with squashes, saying that the year
previous he had planted large number
of hills, but had been unable 10 raise
squashes enough for his own family, as
the bugs destroyed the vines almos, as
fast as they came up. My husband told
him that some years previous by sone
mistake a squash seed was thrown upon
our ash-heap, and that it sprouted and
grew. until it became most luxuriant
vine and bore excellent squashes. Oui
neighlor took the hint and planted two
hills of summer sqaashes. crooknecks, on
his ash heap, using small quantity OF
manure to each hill. No bugs molested
them, and he had all the squashes be
could possibly eat, and gave a Soodly
number to his neighbors.
A lady living near US had beautiful
cherry tree in her garden, but she ex-
planned that she hardly ever had any
cherries on it, as if it happened to rain
jus, before they were ripe they would
begin to decay and drop off, and never
ripen. suggested coal ashes; her hus-
band put about two bushels around the
roots Of the tree, and for five years, rain
or shine, that tree has borne good fruit
and plenty of it.
Where we formerly lived there stood,
at the back OF the woodshed, large
Bartlett pear tree Coal ashes used TO
accumulate around the roots of that tree
and remain there from year to year, from
one to two feet deep. never ate any
where else such pears: they were per-
fectly delicious.
Mentioning these facts to gentleman
not long since he remarked that he was
surprised that so few seemed to realize
the value of coal ashes; that he himself
several years ago had often driven team
hauling coal ashes six miles for the ex-
press purpose of spreading them on land.
and that he thought when people began
to realize that it would pay to hire a man
to haul coal ashes six miles, they would
begin to realize the value of the ashes
Portland Transcript.
BALKY HoRsEs.-Among the sugges-
tions said to be published by some Anti
cruelty to Animals Society, are these: II
the horse when he balks, can have his at
tention diverted there is usually no troub-
lie in starting him. This may be done in
various ways, Of which the following are
a few that have been employed: Take
the horse out of the shafts and turn him