Ashes

In commerce , the residuum of the combustion of vegetable substances containing either carbonate of pota ium (‘land-plants’), or carbonate of sodium (‘marine plants’), and from which the commercial alkalies are obtained. Their value depends upon their richne in ‘alkali,’ which is determined in the manner explained under ALKALIMETRY . The word is also commonly employed as a general term for the crude carbonates of potash of commerce (which see ).