Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-01-21
GOAL ASHES.
Their value - . Pulverissr Of stiR Clay
foil Equal To MI.

Their value - . Pulvsrlssr Of stiR Clay
Soil Equal To MI.
Coal ashes are highly recommended
by some agricultural journals as q pull.
yerixcr for stiff clay soils. Several
years ago read an article on tho sub
ject wherein the writer described the
action Of the ashes upon tho soil, and
tho benefits accruing thcrefrom. In
such a vivid manner that Immediately
determined to employ them for loosen.
ing up piece Of stiff ground upon
which I desired to plant beans and
squash. After spreading the to the
lep,h of three inches over about hall
of the piece l thought 1t might be advis'
able, in employing an agent ! knew
nothing about, to 90 a little slow at
first There would be time enough
aftcrward to use It in wholesale man.
ncr, IL 1t proved as valuable as the
writer declared.
Tho ashes spread upon the ground
were thoroughly Incorporated with the
soil, the whole piece prepared, the
rows laid out and the beans planted.
They all came up about the same
time, but I soon noticed that those
planted among tho ashes had some'
thing the matter with them; they APP
pcarcd weary and sad.likc. One after
another dropped, laid over and with
cred away. Those planted where there
were no ashes looked strong and thrifty.
and grew without any hesitation. In
less than two weeks the ash.treated
land was as barc ~ the day .-s<'
planted. then planted il with squash
seed. The plants came up all right
and appeared to be HEALTHY, but before
long they seemed to he stricken with
malaria, turned pale, dropped and
cvaporated. | was then fully per
suadcd that coal ashes were not what
tina, writer had asserted they were.
Nothing would grow on that patch
until late in summer, when sowcd
some corn upon 1t which yielded an at.
tcnuatcd crop Of fodder. In the fall !
covered the whole patch with roited
barnyarl manure and plowcd 1t in.
The following spring l planted 1t to
Strawberries, and they succeeded fine.
ly.
So far as rendering the land friable
was concerned l could not distinguish
any difference between the part where
they had been used and that where
they had not. When l hood the ground.
however, remarked very consider.
able difference. When my hoe encount.
cred the ashes its sharpness disappeared
in short order; its edge assumed the
appearance Of badly used saw, and |
was compelled to carry file to trim i's
Jagged teeth of at the end OF each
round. have ploughed the land over
several times since the ashes were mp
piled, and they have entirely 'disap'
pcarcd.
Coal ashes arc very useful when put
to proper use. They make the best
Of walks il confined with an edging OF
bricks, tiles or boards. They should
be laid to the depth Of six inches or
more, beaten down solid and smooth,
and then nothing will grow through or
among them Thcy are also useful
for flooring stables. II mixed with u
little dry clay, and wettcd as they arc
put down, they may be beaten
solid almost ~ q rock. They should
never be piled up in unsightly heaps
about the kitchen or back yard. Put
them into box or barrel, and II moi
nccdci on ,lr l,irvoousa them ,oYsp"r
bad spots in the public road. For this
purpose they are especially valuable
and an application of two hundred
tons to the mile wouldn't hurt some OF
our roads. For several months | have
run my ashes through coarse sieve
every morning. while dry. and spread
the finer portion over the cow.s,abl,
floor To absorb the moisture, and they
answer the purpose admirably. Tit
coarse ashes and cindcrs are thrown
upon permanent roadway. There IL
another use for the large cinders; pu
them into barrel, aud next time tn,
posts for the clo,hcs.linc or hitching
rack are set. Use them to fill in arounc
the posts instead Of earth, and tamI
hard The posts will stand firm long
time.-Cor. " T. Examiner.