The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-10-27
weekly News Letter T. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture.)

If the Europea war should cause
our large annual imports Of potash
to dwindle, many farmers Will look
to wood ashes. among Other SUP
stances to replenish the potash sup
ply. While h amount of wood
that a farmer could accumulate on his
own farm would hardly ever be suf-
icient to supply his need for potash,
nevertheless, if they are carefully
stored and not permitted to leach,
they may be of considerable value to
him. Wood ashes are now a factor
in Canada. being considered a regular
commercial commodity. and the large
lumber mills and other plants using
wood or sawdust for fuel in this
country which at present make no
use of the ashes from their furnaces
or waste piles may find it profitable
to store and sell them if the demand
warrants it.
Wood ashes may he proftably ap-
piled as a top dressing to grass land
and to pastures, where they will en-
courage the growth of clover and bet
ter kinds Of grasses, which will then
crowd out inferior kinds and weeds.
Wood ashes may be also used for
corn and roots. Because OF their lime
content they are not SO good for po-
tatoes, although sometimes used for
this crop.
In New England. where farmers
have had to look more carefully to
the renewing of old So.ts than in
some OF the newer sections of the
appreciated. Ashes indirectly in
crease the available nitrogen Of the
organic matter in the soil. and have
been known to do excellent service in
Europe on drained moorland.
Besides the potash. ashes contain
other ingredients which are of value
to plants, namely, about ] OF 2 per
cent Of phosphoric acid, a little mag
nesia, and a great deal of lime. The
ments is made plain by the esteem in
which leached ashes are held by some
of our farmers, although from
leached ashes all but a very small
portion Of the potash has been
washed out. The farmer who wishes
to restore potash to the soil by the
use of ashes should take great care
allowed to leach at all. Many house
wives save their house ashes and leach
out the potash for use in making
soap. They may now have an addi-
tional reason for conserving them,
namely. their increased value as a
garden fertilizer. But as has just
been said. ashes to be used for the i'm
DIOVSIIlCIl VI liz SUI S1Uulu IOl UC
permitted to leach.
Ashe from hardwoods (deciduous
trees) are richer in boil phosphorus
and potash than those from pines
and other softwoods (conifers).
Ashes from oak, elm, maple, and
hickory have more potash than those
from pine. The ashes Of twigs flag
COTS for example) are worth more for
agricultural than the ashes
Of heartwood taken from the midd1ee
of an old tree. In general, the small
er and younger the Woo burned, the
better ashes. The ashes Of coal do
not contain enough potash to make
them valuable in this connection.
Ordinary house ashes contain on
potash and 2 per cent of ph~osphoric
acid. Investigators have considered
that there is enough potash and
phosphoric acid in a bushel of ashes
to make it worth 20 or 25 cents. Be
sides that. some 10 or Is cents addi-
tional might be allowed for the
"alkali power" of the ashes. This
power is that which enables ashes to
rot weeds and to ferment peat. Of
course. prices vary with local condi-
tons.
If wood ashes are purchased. the
farmer should ASSURE himself that
they have neither been contaminated
| Will SooI CSiAOo AO1 duuttSI SlcO WITH
leached ashes. With these facts de-
termined, the place of burning has
no effect on the value of the ashes
as fertilizer. They are equally salts
factory whether taken from a stove.
a fireplace, or a bonfire.
Potash in The Ashes of Cottonsced
HulfS.
The hullS Of according
to specialists, yield ashes which con-
tain from Is to 80 per cent OF potash
and from 5 to 10 per cent OF phos-
phoric acid. Cotton-hull ashes.
therefore. as a fertilizer are much
more concentrate thar ordinary
wood ashes. AS a matter of FACT. in
the opinion of some investigators. the
ashes from ~cottonseed hulls contain
such a largep rOpoFtion Of potash
that they might do considerable harm
to crops if they were used in larpe
quantities.
These ashes have been used With