Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-12-14
Ashes and Bone.
Mr.. Stephen Thomas of Washington, Yer.
mont, writes us the following letter

al have farm of naturally rich alluvial soil,
rather moist | have used wood ashes, but have
not seen any special benefit from them. want
to make the farm cut, as 1t ought to do, three to
four tons per acre of hay, and am thinking OF
making q compost of bone meal and wood ashes,
of about equal parts, and want 1t not only to use
on my moving, but on land where | raise my
corn for ensilage, and on my pasture. W nat 90
you think of 1t? Is II advisable to make such
trial and what had ought 10 pay per ton for bone
,nedlp Do YOU think can use any other fertilizer
which would be cheaper and better Wood ashes
will not cost me twenty cents per bushel. l am
sorry to trouble you, but as | am young farmer
think you will pardon me and give me the infor-
nation"
REpLY.--It is not trouble, but pleas
ure to answer such questions as these, so
far as we are able. Rich, moist alluvial
soils are the ones least likely to be benefited
by ashes, for several reasons. In the first
place they probably have already good
supply of the elements Of plant food con-
tanned in ashes. In the second place, for
some reason ashes do not seem 10 do much
good on moist soils. To show their power,
even when needed, the land, if not naturally
dry, must be drained.
If ashes are to be used only to decom-
pose bone (without reference to their own
fertilizing power), less quantity need be
taken than would be otherwise desirable
YAt oven then we would use three barrels OF
ashes to one of bone, wetting the mixture
we'll, and keeping it wet for three weeks
or more, before applying it to the land. Thil
takes the grease out of the bone and gives
the plant roots chance at it, making it a
much quicker fertilizer. We never knew
any crop not to be greatly benefited by this
mixture,-still we have doubts as to how i
would pay on really wet land. Water il
excess is poison to the roots of nearly al
valuable plants, and no fertilizer has
chance to show what it can do when use'
on wet land.
Pure bone meal, or fine bone, can be hat
of any reputable manufacturer of fertilizers
The price is usually about $40 per ton be
sides freight. 1t ought to be cheaper
While it pays us on our garden crops
onions, seed and small fruits,-we some
what hesitate to recommend it for use o.
ordinary field crops, or on grass land. 1
we were keeping much stock we should tr,
to get our phosphate manure by using feed
ing stuffs rich in phosphates, shorts, brar
etc., unless we could get bone cheaper tina
good article generally sells for. If yer.
fine ground South Carolina phosphate rocl
could be had for $40 per ton, we woul
use that, scattering it on the stable floor an
letting it get thoroughly mixed with tn
manure, which would be much enriched b
such an admixture. One ton to every te
head of cattle during the winter would pa.
we think, either for grass, grain or hoe
crops. Great care should be taken on a
farms to save all the liquid as well as soil
excavations of the stock. This may b
done by free use Of absorbents, but we b'
lieve that cemented cellars or tanks al
cheaper We would be glad to hear fror
Mr.. Thomas again, especially as to his SUI
cess with ensilage.