Wood ash use in the garden. Instant Thoughts

Wood ash has been used as fertilizer for several thousand years. It contains macro- and microelements valuable for plants, without which it is impossible to obtain a high yield.

Properties of wood ash

Ash does not have a specific chemical composition. The composition of the ash depends on what plants were burned. Ash can be obtained by burning coniferous and deciduous wood, peat, straw, dung, sunflower stems - in all these cases the chemical composition will be different.

The approximate general formula of ash was derived by Mendeleev. According to this formula, 100 g. ash contains:

• calcium carbonate - 17 g;
• calcium silicate - 16.5 g;
• calcium sulfate - 14 g;
• calcium chloride - 12 g;
• potassium orthophosphate - 13 g;
• magnesium carbonate - 4 g;
• magnesium silicate - 4 g;
• magnesium sulfate - 4 g;
• sodium orthophosphate – 15 g;
• sodium chloride - 0.5 g.

It can be seen that although ash is considered predominantly potassium fertilizer, but most of all it contains calcium. Calcium is needed by garden vegetables that form bulk aboveground part, such as pumpkin and melons. It is important that calcium is contained in it in the form of four compounds at once: carbonate, silicate, sulfate and chloride.

1. Calcium carbonate enhances metabolic processes, playing the role of a link in the transport of nutrients in cells. It is indispensable in floriculture, as it increases the size and splendor of inflorescences. Cucumbers need calcium carbonate because they grow faster than other vegetables.
2. Calcium silicate combines with pectin and holds cells together, connecting them to each other. Silicate affects the absorption of vitamins. I especially love this element onion. If there is a lack of silicates, the onion splits and dries, but as soon as you water the onion plantings with an infusion of ash, the situation is immediately corrected.
3. Calcium sulfate contained in superphosphate, the most popular mineral fertilizer. Calcium sulfate, applied to the soil in the form of ash, is better absorbed by plants than superphosphate. This compound is necessary during the period of growing green mass, for example, when growing greens and onions.
4. Calcium chloride activates photosynthesis, increases winter hardiness of grapes and fruit trees. It is generally accepted that chlorine is dangerous for plants. The exception to the rule is wood ash. The composition of the fertilizer completely, including chlorides, satisfies the nutritional needs of plants. Chlorine is contained in fruit and vegetable crops in the amount of up to 1% of dry weight, and in tomatoes there is even more of it. If there is a lack of chlorine in the soil, tomato fruits rot, stored apples turn black, carrots crack, and grapes fall off. Calcium chloride is useful when growing roses - it protects the crop from blackleg disease.
5. Potassium. The ash contains potassium orthophosphate K3PO4, which is necessary for regulation water balance plants. Potassium compounds increase the winter hardiness of heat-loving crops and alkalize the soil, which is important when growing roses, lilies and chrysanthemums.
6. Magnesium. The ash contains 3 magnesium compounds, which are necessary for the normal functioning of plants.

Use of wood ash

If there is wood ash in the gardener's bins, its use can be varied. Ashes can be used as:

• phosphorus-potassium fertilizer;
• soil acidity neutralizer;
• enriching additive for compost;
• fungicide and insecticide.

Wood ash contains noticeably less potassium and phosphorus - 10-12%, but it contains a lot of calcium. Pine is also the richest in calcium, which makes it possible to use their ash to alkalize and improve the structure of the soil. Burnt peat and shale are suitable for this purpose.

Important! If lime was added to the soil, then the ash cannot be used in the same year, since soil phosphorus will go into an inaccessible form.

To deoxidize the soil, ash is added once every 3 years in an amount of 500-2000 g. on square meter. It activates the soil microflora, which immediately affects the structure - the soil becomes loose and easy to work with.

Adding ash to compost speeds up the maturation of the compost heap and enriches the final product with calcium and magnesium. compost heap layered with unsifted ash as it is laid, pouring in any quantity. There is no need to add lime.

Rules for applying fertilizer

The beneficial substances contained in the ash actively dissolve in water, so it is better to fertilize the soil not in the fall, but in the spring. Ash can be applied in the fall only on heavy clay soils, from which it is almost not washed out by melt water.

Ash is added when digging the area, scattering 100-200 grams. per square meter, and embedded to a depth of at least 8 cm - this prevents the formation of a soil crust.

For reference: 1 glass ≈ 100 grams of ash.

It is more advisable to apply fertilizer not during continuous digging, but directly into the planting holes. You can pour a tablespoon into cucumber wells, and 3 tablespoons into tomato and potato wells. When planting berry bushes, pour up to 3 cups of ash into the planting hole. Ash in holes and pits must be mixed with soil so that the roots do not come into direct contact with it - this can lead to burns.

Important! Wood ash for plants is not applied simultaneously with phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers, since nitrogen in this case quickly evaporates, and phosphorus turns into an inaccessible form.

Since ancient times, numerous miraculous properties. In addition, among all peoples it was considered a source of fertility.

Ashes and ashes were often used in spells and fortune telling, as they were believed to retain some of the fire magic properties from which they originated. In many countries, in the past they used ashes to tell fortunes, trying to determine whether any member of the household would die within a year. Before the family retired, ashes were sifted onto the hearth and left until the morning to see if the brownie's footprints appeared on it. If there were none, everything was in order, but if the footprint was visible, this meant death no later than twelve months later for the person whose foot size matched the footprint.

In some places, the bed of a deceased person was burned in the open, and the ashes were left untouched all night, so that in the morning they would also see or not see the traces by which they determined who would die next. In this case, no time limits were set, and years could pass before the prophecy was fulfilled.

If an English guy, not yet in love with anyone, wanted to know who he would later marry, he scattered ashes along some quiet alley on All Hallows' Eve (Halloween). The first girl who walked along it was considered his future wife.

Ashes from sacred bonfires lit on Midsummer Day ( summer solstice), promotes fertility, and also has protective properties, and it was scattered across the fields for the sake of the future harvest. In addition, each of those gathered around such a fire took with him a handful of ashes to protect his home. It was also customary to pour ash into shoes, because this protected them from grief and failure.

In Germany, the ashes of fires were mixed into the drink of livestock to improve their weight gain. On the first Sunday of Lent, Russian and French peasants burned bonfires and scattered ashes across the fields, and even poured them into nests. poultry so that she runs better.

The ashes of sacred fires in Europe were a talisman against thunderstorms; they were considered a talisman against demons. In Scotland, ashes scattered on the ground were supposed to protect it from damage caused by witches.

Some tribes North American Indians There was a custom, a year after the funeral, to dig up the bones of deceased compatriots, burn them and scatter the ashes to the wind. The aborigines believed that these ashes turned into rain, refreshing and fertilizing the lands of the clan. South American Indians sacrificed a person every year for their grains. Preference was given to short and stocky men. The intended victim was taken into the field and killed among the ears of wheat. After the blood of the murdered man had coagulated under the hot sun, it was burned along with the frontal bone, brain and some parts of the body, and the ashes were scattered on the ground to fertilize it.
The Vancouver Island Indians believed that if they rubbed the ashes of wasps on their warriors' faces before battle, they would become as fierce as wasps. They also had a belief that the ashes of flies, taken internally, would make a woman just as fertile.

Dreaming of ash means that you will soon be bitterly disappointed, or someone will offend you. Scattering ash in a dream is very bad sign foretelling serious illness or even death loved one. Collecting ash means increasing your capital, profit, inheritance or winnings.
Scattering ash means a quarrel. To prevent an infant from screaming, they doused it with water, putting in ashes from three ovens: the hut, the maid's oven and the bathhouse.

Beyond the ashes and ash magical properties our ancestors also provided coal. Coal, they believed, was a symbol of fire and therefore brought happiness and protection. To this day, it is brought to the house by the first New Year's guest - an important figure in Scotland - as one of the gifts for good luck. If a person who would fill this role cannot be found, then the head of the family himself must bring some coal on New Year's morning before all other matters. It must be brought in through the front door and certainly from the outside - simply from the cellar to the kitchen or living room is not enough. Therefore, they often prepare a pile of coal ahead of time right from front door. A properly performed ritual brings prosperity to the family for the entire coming year.

It is usually considered good luck to find a piece of coal on the road. You need to spit on him, throw him over left shoulder and go your own way without looking back. In this case, your wish will definitely come true. If you ignore the coal lying on the ground, then you will leave your happiness on the road.
Until recently, in some countries, randomly found or donated pieces of coal were worn as talismans. Soldiers often took a piece of coal with them to survive in battle, and robbers - “for business” so as not to be caught. So, back at the end of the 19th century, Scotland Yard detectives claimed that this superstition was widespread among burglars...

After burning any object, ashes remain in the material world. What is ash? Ash comes in the form of ash and dust. What is the difference? We get ash from burning wood, that is, plants, and ashes from burning organic matter, that is, animals. What happens to crystals when they burn? They melt, that is, they turn into a liquid state. Is it possible to convert them into a gaseous state? It is possible if you create the necessary conditions. What will be left if they burn completely?

What is ash?

In appearance, ash is a dusty, gray mass. In composition, it consists of 74 elements of the periodic table, such as calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium and others. All these elements are necessary for plant growth, so ash is used as fertilizer. The plant elements themselves cannot assimilate, but only their aqueous solutions. Water acts as a connecting link.

What is ash?

In appearance, ash is a dusty, gray mass remaining from something burned. Cigarette ash contains elements such as calcium, potassium, manganese, silicon, chlorine, phosphorus and others. Volcanic ash is one of the products of magma grinding. Consists of pieces of dust and sand less than 2 millimeters in diameter. Occurs during volcanic eruptions. Here you have the burning of crystals, only in a liquid state. When inhaled, ash enters the bronchi and, in contact with mucus, hardens like cement, causing death from suffocation. What is the composition of magma?

Magma looks like a mess, a thick ointment. It is a natural, hot, liquid melt that occurs in earth's crust or in the upper mantle. Chemical composition– almost all elements of the periodic table, such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, aluminum, sodium and others, as well as various volatile components (oxides of carbon, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen, fluorine, chlorine and others) and steam water. The composition of volcanic ash is the same as that of magma elements, but in a solid state.

What are ashes?

Ashes are small particles of dust remaining after the burning of a deceased human body. If we consider the structure of a person at the atomic level, we find that a person whose weight is 70 kg consists of 45.5 kg of oxygen, 12.6 kg of carbon, 7 kg of hydrogen, 2.1 kg of nitrogen, 1.4 kg of calcium, 700 g phosphorus. All other elements taken together (mainly potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, magnesium, iron and zinc) - about 700 g.

What remains after the body burns? This is dust, its composition is similar to that of ash and ash. We get that plants and animals arise from the same elements as all of nature (dust) and return to dust when the combustion process occurs. Human breathing is also a combustion process, but a slow one. Having lived its life, the organism returns to the nature of the Earth those elements that it took for it. But this only applies physical body.

We have a cycle of elements, like the water cycle in nature.

A source of information. Encyclopedia for children "Biology" Avanta 1996
Internet.

Among all the ways to feed a plant, the most convenient and environmentally friendly is the use of ash as fertilizer. It is easy to prepare, use, and store. In addition, the micro- and ash elements contained in it add special value. It is in the composition that the main difference between the varieties of this fertilizer lies:

1. Wood ash is richer in phosphorus and potassium. Also in it a large number of calcium, which reduces the negative impact of the acidic soil environment. Magnesium, sulfur, iron, zinc and other trace elements maintain the health and strength of the plant over a long period.

Depending on the soil richness and the needs of the crop, the chemical composition of the fertilizer can be adjusted. For example, choosing deciduous trees, especially birch, guarantees an increased dose of potassium. They enrich with the same element herbaceous plants with a hard stem, such as sunflower, buckwheat and others. But conifers are a source of phosphorus, just like wheat or rye straw and tree bark.

1. Peat ash is characterized by a lower content of phosphorus-potassium compounds, which is more suitable in conditions of their initial presence in the soil or for use on crops that consume these elements in small quantities. And calcium, found here in greater concentration than in wood ash, is irreplaceable on podzolic and other types of soils that are acidic.
2. Ash does not contain so necessary for plants calcium, phosphorus and potassium. But it is rich in sulfur, which makes it possible to acidify alkaline soils, but precludes its use even in slightly acidic environments. Coal ash is also distinguished by the presence of silicon oxides, which contributes to the structuring of loams and even their drying.

In most cases, the soil is poor in potassium, and of the standard fertilizers, KCl contains the most of it. However, the use of this salt is quite inconvenient, since the presence of chlorine in the composition, to which only a few crops react neutrally, forces it to be applied in the fall, so that by spring all excess has time to be washed out. Ash is much more convenient in this regard, because contains useful element with almost complete absence of harmful substances.

How to use ash correctly

One of the main questions that worries all gardeners, especially beginners, is what fertilizer to choose for feeding in order to give the plant everything it needs right away and how to apply it. Ash for feeding is used on following crops: potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, grapes, fruit and flower plants.

In order to increase the efficiency of feeding, you must follow several rules:

To fertilize with ash, you must adhere to the following rules:

• On clay and loamy soils, application is recommended in the fall, followed by incorporation to a depth of 20-25 cm;
• On sandy loam and sandy types, it is more rational to use it in the spring after the rains (the nutritional elements of the ash are quickly washed out) or immediately before planting.

The consumption rate is about 200 to 300 g/m2. The effect of adding ash is observed for 2-4 years.

• To reduce the harmful effects of the acidic soil environment, it is best to apply wood ash in the fall. At the same time, an increase in the cold resistance of plants is achieved.
• In addition to dry use, ashes can be added to composts by sprinkling 10 kg of fertilizer over each 1 m 3 in layers, which will act, in some way, as a catalyst for the overheating of organic matter.
• Ready solution at the rate of 100 g/10 l of water. The liquid mixture is added with constant stirring (no sediment should remain). It is also worth considering that the ash concentration with this method can be reduced, because Substances dissolved in water are more fully absorbed by the roots.
• Soaking eggplant and tomato seeds in a solution of ash and water improves the health of the seed. To do this, the composition must first steep for 24 hours.

There is no one recipe for how to fertilize certain crops with ash, because... each has its own requirements, concentrations and method.

Features of use

To avoid a backlash, when applying fertilizer:

1. Storage of ashes is unacceptable in humid conditions, because ash is an excellent adsorbent, and nutrients when dropped into water they dissolve easily. In other words, there is practically no point in using such material in fertilizing.
2. Nitrogen fertilizers are not combined with ash, because when added together, the main element of them becomes inaccessible and, therefore, does not achieve the goal. This applies to both mineral and organic species. Therefore, nitrogen is applied no earlier than a month after the ash.
3. It is also not recommended to mix phosphate rock or superphosphate with ash, since phosphorus in this case turns into hard-to-reach forms.
4. The use of burnt garbage as fertilizer, especially containing polymer materials. In addition, painted and treated wood is not suitable, because... the content of toxic substances in it will cause more harm.

Using ash for potatoes

For potatoes, ash is a more preferable fertilizer than any other, because This crop consumes large amounts of potassium and categorically does not accept chlorine. Many gardeners have noted that the greatest increase in yield is observed when adding ashes directly into the hole. The dosage can range from 1 cup to 400 g depending on the type of soil. The effect will be especially good when dusting tubers.

The application can be distributed evenly over the growing season, for example, by adding wood ash during the first and second (budding phase) hilling, 2 tablespoons and half a glass per bush, respectively. It must be remembered that these standards apply to wood ash. When using peat, it is necessary to increase the rate to 30%.

Such fertilizing allows you to get strong plants with tubers. In addition to providing the crop with the necessary nutrients, the ash has a fungicidal effect, namely, it inhibits the development of late blight, from which more and more potato growers suffer every year. Coal ash performs especially well here, because... it contains more copper. In addition, spraying ash on plants helps in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle.

Benefits of ash for vegetables and fruits

On wood fertilizer everyone responds positively vegetable crops, because the nutrients it contains are especially loved by these plants. For getting big harvest high-quality pumpkin (cucumbers, zucchini, squash) add 1 cup before planting, followed by planting and then 2 tablespoons for each bush. Root feeding provides for the placement of 1 cup per m2 followed by watering.

Nightshades need 3 cups of fertilizer before planting, with 0.5 cup added when planting the seedlings in their final location. Ash is applied to the cabbage in fractions: up to 2 cups at the beginning of the summer season and 0.5 cups in the holes.

Parsley, lettuce, dill are provided with all the necessary elements when digging 1 m 2 of soil with 1 cup of ash in the spring. And here winter garlic and onions prefer autumn application of fertilizer.

For fruit and berry crops wood ash is a favorite remedy because... it contains practically no chlorine. Top dressing consists of placing dry ash in tree trunk circles in the spring every 2-3 years.

Grape fertilizer

Crops that consume large doses of potassium include grapes. To ensure it required quantity For batteries, a whole system of fertilizing with ash is used, carried out once every 3-4 years.

After harvesting, each plant is watered with a large volume of water with the obligatory addition of wood ash to the last bucket (about 300g). Spring feeding consists of embedding 2 kg of ash in tree trunk circles. And applying dry fertilizer in the first days of summer allows you to simultaneously fight the fungus while improving root nutrition. However, you should not use ash excessively, especially on soils with an alkaline reaction, because this is fraught with chlorosis on the leaves.

In addition to root feeding, grapes respond well to spraying them with a solution of ash and water (1:2) during the growing season. The mixture is pre-infused for at least three days (it must be stirred from time to time). Then the fertilizer should be allowed to stand so that it is possible to drain the water without sediment and dilute it with water in a ratio of 1:3. It is better to carry out treatment on days with less solar activity, or in the evening hours, to avoid burns. This operation helps to get rid of fungal diseases of the crop.

To ensure annual fruiting of grapes, they must be pruned before wintering. The remaining branches can be an excellent material for wood ash with a high content of potassium (25%) and phosphorus (17%).

Fertilizing garden flowers

Because ash, especially wood ash, contains all the elements involved in maintaining health and beauty flower plants, its use is simply irreplaceable in obtaining luxurious flower beds. In particular, this applies to rose gardens of any type.

The most simple method use is uniform distribution throughout the flower garden with embedding in the soil. This is one of the few cases when applying fertilizer is not recommended during planting, but is preferable in the form of fertilizing. Rooting is carried out with dry ash (under perennial bushes) or by watering with a 2-day infusion of water at the rate of 10 g/l.

For spraying during the growing season, a more concentrated solution is used (component ratio 20 g/l). It is better to fertilize before sunrise or in the evening hours, so as not to expose the leaves and petals to the risk of burns. The same fertilizer is used on indoor plants with the only difference that it is necessary to take into account the proportions due to the limited pot space.

Ash to protect plants from pests

To achieve good harvests You need to constantly fight pests, weeds, and diseases. And if some of them have the opportunity to deal with mechanically, then others force us to resort to more sophisticated methods, namely chemicals. However, ash can also help combat many fairly common garden problems. For example, due to its properties, ash even helps to get rid of some plants, such as horsetail.

Some of the most unpleasant pests are slugs and snails, which are not so easy to get rid of even with repellents. If you sprinkle dry ash on the surface of the soil around the plant, their attacks stop bothering you. Wireworms and ants also react to this method, only their paths are processed.

To protect strawberry roots from omnivorous larvae, it is enough to powder the edges of the hole when planting seedlings. And to rid the ground parts of plants of various insects such as aphids, whites and others, a solution with ash and a decoction of herbs is prepared (it is better to select it individually for each specific pest). It must be taken into account that a greater effect is achieved by adding laundry soap as a surfactant at a rate of 10 g/l. A mixture of fly ash and tobacco in equal proportions works very well. It can be used to dust onions, cabbage, rutabaga, radishes and other crops to protect against harmful flies and cruciferous flea beetles.

Ash as a fungicide

Spraying with a solution of water and wood ash has a healing effect on strawberries while combating the first signs of gray rot. The consumption rate of such a fungicide is up to 15 g per bush. To prepare the solution, you will need 300 g of ash, dissolved in 3 liters of water, followed by heating and infusion for 6 hours. Then soap and water are added (the total volume should be 10 liters).

If the disease is detected in the initial phase, 2-fold treatment with a frequency of 2 weeks is sufficient; with later stages the situation is more complicated, because the probability of eradicating action is significantly reduced in this case. Ease of use is achieved by straining the composition before processing.

This product is applicable, among other things, to the destruction of powdery mildew fungi on pumpkin plants. Mixing wood ash with soil before planting cabbage reduces its susceptibility to clubroot and blackleg disease. And adding it to the rows of table beets provides protection from tail rot and damage to the heart thanks to the boron contained in the ash.

If cucumbers are affected by root rot, they must be treated either with dry ash by dusting, or a fungicide must be prepared from water (1 l), ash (6 tablespoons) and copper sulfate(2 teaspoons). Any processing of vegetative mass should be carried out during periods of low solar activity.

For any plant there is no more useful fertilizer than natural. What could be more natural than a natural product? For example, ash contains balanced nutritional elements that are rarely combined in a man-made product. In addition, the use of ash allows you to improve the structure of the soil, its properties, increase the immunity of plants and protect them from negative influence pests and diseases. That is why ash is suitable for fertilizing like no other mineral fertilizer better.

Since ancient times, numerous miraculous properties have been attributed to ashes. In addition, among all peoples it was considered a source of fertility.

Ashes and ashes were often used in spells and fortune telling, as they were believed to retain some of the fire magic properties from which they originated. In many countries, in the past they used ashes to tell fortunes, trying to determine whether any member of the household would die within a year. Before the family retired, ashes were sifted onto the hearth and left until the morning to see if the brownie's footprints appeared on it. If there were none, everything was in order, but if the footprint was visible, this meant death no later than twelve months later for the person whose foot size matched the footprint.

In some places, the bed of a deceased person was burned in the open, and the ashes were left untouched all night, so that in the morning they would also see or not see the traces by which they determined who would die next. In this case, no time limits were set, and years could pass before the prophecy was fulfilled.

If an English guy, not yet in love with anyone, wanted to know who he would later marry, he scattered ashes along some quiet alley on All Hallows' Eve (Halloween). The first girl who walked along it was considered his future wife.

Ashes from sacred bonfires lit on Midsummer (the summer solstice) promoted fertility and also had protective properties, and were scattered across fields for future harvests. In addition, each of those gathered around such a fire took with him a handful of ashes to protect his home. It was also customary to pour ash into shoes, because this protected them from grief and failure.

In Germany, the ashes of fires were mixed into the drink of livestock to improve their weight gain. On the first Sunday of Lent, Russian and French peasants burned bonfires and scattered ashes across the fields, and even sprinkled them into the nests of poultry to help them lay eggs better.

The ashes of sacred fires in Europe were a talisman against thunderstorms; they were considered a talisman against demons. In Scotland, ashes scattered on the ground were supposed to protect it from damage caused by witches.

Some tribes of North American Indians had a custom, a year after a funeral, to dig up the bones of their dead compatriots, burn them and scatter the ashes to the wind. The aborigines believed that these ashes turned into rain, refreshing and fertilizing the lands of the clan. South American Indians sacrificed a person every year for their grains. Preference was given to short and stocky men. The intended victim was taken into the field and killed among the ears of wheat. After the blood of the murdered man had coagulated under the hot sun, it was burned along with the frontal bone, brain and some parts of the body, and the ashes were scattered on the ground to fertilize it.

The Vancouver Island Indians believed that if they rubbed the ashes of wasps on their warriors' faces before battle, they would become as fierce as wasps. They also had a belief that the ashes of flies, taken internally, would make a woman just as fertile.

Dreaming of ash means that you will soon be bitterly disappointed, or someone will offend you. Scattering ash in a dream is a very bad sign, foreshadowing a serious illness or even the death of a loved one. Collecting ash means increasing your capital, profit, inheritance or winnings.

Scattering ash means a quarrel. To prevent an infant from screaming, they doused it with water, putting in ashes from three ovens: the hut, the maid's oven and the bathhouse.

In addition to ashes and ash, our ancestors also endowed coal with magical properties. Coal, they believed, was a symbol of fire and therefore brought happiness and protection. To this day, it is brought to the house by the first New Year's guest - an important figure in Scotland - as one of the gifts for good luck. If a person who would fill this role cannot be found, then the head of the family himself must bring some coal on New Year's morning before all other matters. It must be brought in through the front door and certainly from the outside - simply from the cellar to the kitchen or living room is not enough. Therefore, they often prepare a pile of coal ahead of time right at the front door. A properly performed ritual brings prosperity to the family for the entire coming year.

It is usually considered good luck to find a piece of coal on the road. You need to spit on it, throw it over your left shoulder and go your way without looking back. In this case, your wish will definitely come true. If you ignore the coal lying on the ground, then you will leave your happiness on the road.

Until recently, in some countries, randomly found or donated pieces of coal were worn as talismans. Soldiers often took a piece of coal with them to survive in battle, and robbers - “for business” so as not to be caught. So, back at the end of the 19th century, Scotland Yard detectives claimed that this superstition was widespread among burglars...