The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-10-10
Wood Ashes in the Orchard.


Among the most common and most
valuable of special manures | place
wood ashes. The amount of ash and
its relative composition vary with the
kind and part of vegetable burned, but
we may safely take the ash of the body
OF the beech tree as representing the
average composition Of wood ashes.
One bushel Of ashes represents about
two and half tons of dry body wood
Wood ashes contain all the required
elements Of plant nutrition except nj
trogen. One hundred pounds of wood
ashes contain sixteen pounds of potash
worth eighty cents, three and half
pounds of soda worth two cents, sixty
seven pounds of lime and magnesia
worth eight cents, and five and a hall
pounds phosphoric acid worth twenty
six cents If we had to buy in market
in the cheapest form the manurial ma
terials contained in one hundred pounds
of ashes the cost would be one dollar
and sixteen cents Can you afford to
throw away such valuable materials,
or sell them for sixpence bushel to q
soap boiler' No argument is needed /;
here is the value and there is the sell
ing price Draw your own conclu-
sions.
Even when the ashes have been
leachcd to the last degree, till every
soluble thing has been washed sway,
they still have value, tor the phosphate
and carbonate of lime and magnesia
remain, and they are worth thirty-four
cents for one hundred pounds, or six
dollars and eighty cents ton. The
market gardeners of Long Island knew
their value, and sent ships one thous.
and miles to bring the ashery heaps of
Maine, even when they had to draw
the ashes five miles before reaching the
ships. But | will not consume your
time to tell how they do things down
East, but l will give you my exper-
ience with leached ashes in Eaton
County.
More than thirty years ago | settled
in Vermontville and bought lot for
my home, or, as l expressed it to my
wife, II fenced in two and a halt acres
of paradise" The soil was stiff boul-
der clay, and had been exhausted by a
rotation consisting of wheatstubble and
wheat. Here I planted every fruit
bearing tree and shrub of superior
value, and in the slections of fruit 81
withheld not my heart from any joy"
kept COW and three horses, for in
the thinly settled country horse flesh
had to bear brunt of hard work. /
had plenty of stable manure and used
it freely. But soon found that excess
of stable manure gave my pear trees
the fire blight, made my apples run to
water sprouts and suckers and my
grapes ran wild in the wild wood.
/ then turned my attention to a heap
Of leached ashes near by and had sew
enty-fve or eighty tons of these ashes
scattered over my field. No more fire
blight nor water sprouts, but golden
fruit in bountiful supply. Like my
ever-so great-grandfather, Adam, / left
my paradise, which passed through
several hands, and at last came into the
possession of Mrs. B. in exchange for
one hundred and sixty-acre farm
Her son told me that she received more
money from the sale of fruit from that
two and half-acre lot than she receiv-
ed from the hundred and sixty-acre
farm. The soil has not forgotten that
liberal dressing of leached ashes ap-
piled more than twenty-five years ago.
-Prof Kend=ie, Of Michigan Agri'
cultural College.