The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1885-08-01
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he va'ls of ashes AZ u manure brings to
my mind some Of M experience with
this fertilizer, which is likely to prove
OF value u others. AZ ashes are the
mineral or earthly part Of word, Wa
wsuld naturally iafer that they would
be very valuable as Il fertilizer for trees,
rs they would furnish IN just the exact
Proportions required all tie different
articles If food not obtained by the tree
ror the air. Their great value wheI
applied to this use WAS frat demoustra
ted to ms some ton years ago. My ap-
pie orchard is partly upon lowlaud that
4 | not drain naturally, and at til. {
time had not been drained artiGcially,
except what couldbe done by surface
drainage. Az reeult, the trees were
continually dying out, and ! WAS foul
ally plucky enough to keep their places
titled With new trees. When planting
trees un tl:is low ground one spring |
found that, iii the holes wers dug they
were almost full of water AS All expert
lncn,, west to the ssh box sld 60: a
l,.ye buchsttul OF ualeschel asi,.s
These dumped intoa llolo and they
ssttIed out Of sight wudur the water |
elected sn.all twe-ycarold Maldcu's
.;!uah tree and set it o., tap of the asl,ra
ald then til.i the hole as well as |
could With soil. Ind 10 idea What the
result would be, bat rather anticip0-
ed the death Of the tree. Nas s.,res-
ably surprised Ivy the outcome. The
rec grew, and never before had seeu
tree grow 20 vigorously. Though but
two years from the graft when trans
planted in the spring, II hlossop,.d the
latter purt Of the next July. The apples
II fell Of when sboa' the size Of large
pens. That tree is slye aud thrifty TO-
lay, aud has been bearing heavy crops
II apples for SIX wears
Of course this led NE to using ashes
Till. orally in NY orchards, | invariably
pu. n gallon or more Vf uuleached w.,od
ashes in the h"le whom settin. out ap-
lie or peach trees, setting tie roots u
the young tree on and in the asti.s II
the soil is dry ! moisten the ashes
Without exception those to whom
have spoken " this matter give 1t y,
heir decided opinion that the alkali
rom the ashes would fatally or seriously
nature the tender roots Of the tree; but
I have not found it 80, nor have they
when they have tried it, so far =.
SNOW However, if the reader fears in
jury to the trees, let him try it with
mly one or two TO begin with, and theI
,se the ashes more largely il he find.
he results are good. uftcn see it r.
commended to nac only leached ashes
Now, while | will Use all the leache(
sshes can get, | would mach prefe
to have them unleaCasd, for leac',in,
carries away the greater part of thci
value MS a fertilizer. 1t takes away til,
readily soluble matter--that whicl
could be easily and readily appropriated
by the plant. The carbsnates and snl
pilates Of potash and soda are dissolve
out by teaching, while the silieates
phosphates aud csrbonates Of lime
n,asnesia, iron and manganese arc lef
in the residue. Hence, the relative valu,
Of ashes, leached or unleached, vii
vary with the crop to which, they ar
applied. Thus for Indian corn, ,arnips
potatoes aud beets-plants which re
quire so much potash that they ar
often called potash plants--ieaohtt
ashes are nearly worthless, while I'm
lsached ashes would be the most va
uahle fertilizer to be had.
For some crops leachcd ashes are 81
sest as valuable as those unlcached. b
far the greater part of leached ashes
T. carbonate OF lime, and the next il pho,
phate of lime, or bonedust. Hence, o
= soils lacking lime leached ashes arc
: valuable fertilizer. In one Of my field
there is spot very rich in nitrogen, Blu
: lacking IN lime and silica, 1t got its PR
t ponderance Of nitrogen by a stab
: standing on it for some years. Vine
this field was seeded to wheat, there wa
, Il rank growth on this spot, which somt
times lodged on account OF the lack