Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-02-16
WOOD ASHES AS FERTILIZER.
VALUABLE SOURCE OF POTASH

Orono. Me, Feb. 15.-{Special).-The
following was issued today by Charles D..
Woods. director Of the Maine Agrcul-
tural Experiment station at the Univer-
sity of Maine:
On the whole, Maine farmers pretty
clearly understand the high value Of
wood ashes as a fertilizer. They carry
large amounts of readily available pot
ash, and particularly on this account are
they of high value, under the presen.
conditions brought about by the Euro
pean war, when German potash salts are
obtainable.
1t is quite common to ascribe the fer
tilizing value of wood ashes almost
wholly to the potash which they carry.
While the potash has the largest money
value of the fertilzng constituents. the
agricultural value of ashes also depends
ION the not inconsiderable amounts Of
phosphoric acid and the large amounts
of lime which they carry. The impor-
lance Of these last constituents is indi-
, Gated by the high value some farmers put
upon leaehed ashes as manure, although
in teaching nearly all of the water soluble
potash has been removed
The potash content Of ashes varies with
the kind Of wood, the method of burning,
and the care taken with the ashes to pro-
tect them from rain. In carefully burned
woods the amount of potash will range
from 8 per cent. in cedar to s. per cent.
in elm AS ordinarily obtained, soft wood
cha r<af4 90 n
as compared with hard wood ashes. This.
however. is largely due to the method OF
burning and the care of the ashes since
the potash in maple, oak. birch and
beech ashes averages rather less than
that in hemlock. pine and spruce.
In a large number of analyses made at
the Maine Agricultural Experiment Sta
ton it is clearly indicated that different
samples of ashes differ markedly in their
manurial value. 1t is also clearly brought
out that the unleached hard wood ashes
are of much greater value than those
from soft wood. This is due partly to
the method of burning and partly to the
way the ashes are kept. Potash is vola-
tile at not very high temperature and
in case of very hot fires much of the
potash is driven off and lost. Dump and
furnace ashes are more or less exposed
to the weather. The rains if copious
enough to wet through the pile would
leach the ashes and carry off more or less
Of the water soluble potash. In case OF
a dry pile partially wet. the water fall
ing upon the top will dissolve out the
potash in the upper layers and carry 1t
to the lower part of the pile. In the case
of damp ashes drying out, the movement
of water is toward the top and the water
containing the potash would be drawn tc
the top and evaporate. leaving at the tor
of the pile the potash in the form of a
more or less crystalline crust. With the
next rain this would be dissolved and
carried down into the pile to again reap.
pear at the surface in subsequent evap
grafton of the moisture 1t. therefore
follows that the composition of pile Of
wet ashes is not uniform and that por
tons of it would be poorer than other
parts in potash.
In addition 10 the carbonate of potash
which is the water soluble potash il
ashes, there is some insoluble potash
which consists chiefly of siiicate of pot
ash This is only slowly if at all, avail.