POTASH MANURES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IX, Issue 740, 27 January 1915, Page 2

POTASH MANURES.

The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries desire to draw the attention of farmers and gardeners to the need for seeking new sources of potash manures. This country's supply of artificial potash manure comes almost entirely from Germany. The existing stock is very Hmall, and no further importation is possible for the present. The chief natural sources of potash immediately available are—Seaweed, and weeds, prunings, hedge clippings, brushwood, leaves, and vegetable refuse generally. Seaweed is already extensively used as a manure on the coasts. All who have access to this sourca of supply should collect it in quantity. Broad weed may be used direct as manure. Grassy weed and tangle should be dried and burnt wherever possible. A ton of freßh weed should yield 201b to 301b of potash—enough for example, to manure from a quarter to half an acre of potatoes. A Valuable Hint. —Inland farmers and gardeners mav obtain potash by burning all kinds of vegetable refuse not suitable for direct application to the soil. The percentage of potash in vegetation varies very widely. Among ordinary weeds, for example, thistles might yield 5 per cent, and nettles 2.5 per cent., of their weight Timber contains very little potash, cord-wood a considerable quantity, and brushwood still more. Ordinary wood a&hes might contain from 5 per cent, to 10 per cent., according to their source. The natural variations are so great that it is not possible to state definitely the composition of the ashes resulting from the burning of the weeds, prunings, hedge clippings, etc., but they might be ex; pected to contain from 10 to 15 per cent, of potash—i.e., they might be worth as much as an equal weight of kainit—last spring kainit sold at about £2 10s per ton. It is absolutely essential, in the absence of full supplies of farmyard manure, that potash should be provided for such farm crops as potatoes and, on light soils, turnips and that it should be available in gardens for potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and onions, and many other crops. Vegetable Refuse. —In view of the lack of employment for unskilled labour in many districts, farmers might well begin by collecting all readily available vegetable refuse with the view of drying and burning it and storing the ashes for early spring use before the winter seta in. Similarly during the winter much labour might be employed in rooting out old coarse hedges and clearing off other coarse vegetation in itself objectionable. All these cleanings might be burnt and the ashes used in late spring at a time when potash manures may be of great value. The ashes must be storad in a dry place. The carbonate of potaah present in ashes is very soluble, and would quickly wash out if exposed to the rain.