West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1916-05-04
PLENTY OF WORK AND
WAGES ARE GOING UP
Wood Ashes and Bone Meal

The recent great advance I'm ia,
| price of potash because OF the German
embargo on expectation. and I'm In,
price OF acid phosphate because OF IN,
increased use OF sulphurlc acid FOR
munition purposes. naturally stlmu.
lates interest in all homo sources OF
fertilizer materials. Such sources car
not bo expected to furnish a large sup.
| ply. hut any materials which ar,
available should be preserved and
used In this connection attenti--u
should be drawn to wood ashes and
! bones
Wood ashes, prepared by burning
the wood I'm the air, contain on an nv
cragc to 10 per cent OF potash. The
content of potash Ia determined by the
species of plant, the soil upon which
grown. and the portion of the plant
burned, whether root. stock or
branches The potash is In highly
soluble form, and unless the aches are
protected from the weather will leach
away and be lost. Potash must, how
ever, be i'm this soluble form To be of
value for fertilizer purposes. and wood
ashes properly cared for are. thoro-
fore, valuable homo source OF sun
ply Farmers who use wood for fuel
should store all the ashes produced I'm
a weather-tght place, since by so do
ing they may assure themselves OF at
least a small supply OF fertilizer
ingredient otherwise almost unobtaIn-
able at present
Bones are another source Of ferti-
lizcr materials which should not be
overlooked. Ground bone has long
been recognized as valuable forti-
lizer material and as IA source OF phos-
phoric acid IT'S use antedates that of
phosphate rock. Raw bones contain
from 20 TO % per cent OF phosphoric
acid and 3 or 6 per cent OF nitrogen.
There are many methods OF treating
bones, but probably the simplest and
most satisfactory for the small opera
tor is TO reduce them to bone meal
They should first be thoroughly steam
ed, say I'm a boiler such as is used for
producing lime sulphur, after which
they should be dried and ground 20
meal In bone mill Such mill may
be secured at small expense and may
be used for other operations on the
farm The bone meal 30 produced
may be applied direct, or I'm comblna-
tion with wood ashes Tho applica-
tion OF wood ashes and bone meal to
the soil furnishes the necessary con
stituents of complete fertillzer-ni-
trogen, phosphoric acid and potash.
A method of composing wood ashes
and whole bones, which is said to have
originated in Russia, is as follows:
I'm trench or feet deep, wood
ashes and whole bones are piled I'm al
ternate layers, each about inches
deep The lowest and the uppermost
layers are OF ashes, and each layer OF
ashes is saturated with water as soon
as IL has been laid. Upright stakes
are set in the trenches at intervals OF
about feet at the beginning, and
they are withdrawn after 8 or 10 days
time. Into the holes which the stakes
have left enough water is poured to
saturate anew the ashes. At the end
OF two months, when the bones have
become considerably softened, the
heap should De thrown over, moisten-
ed, and allowed to fcrment anew This
process should be repeated at inter
walls as often as necessary. Five
months and three turnings should be
sufficient"