Talmud for Tamid 2:2
הֵחֵלּוּ מַעֲלִין בָּאֵפֶר עַל גַּבֵּי הַתַּפּוּחַ. וְתַפּוּחַ הָיָה בְאֶמְצַע הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, פְּעָמִים עָלָיו כִּשְׁלשׁ מֵאוֹת כּוֹר. וּבָרְגָלִים לֹא הָיוּ מְדַשְּׁנִין אוֹתוֹ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא נוֹי לַמִּזְבֵּחַ. מִיָּמָיו לֹא נִתְעַצֵּל הַכֹּהֵן מִלְּהוֹצִיא אֶת הַדָּשֶׁן:
They [the priests] began heaping the ash onto the <i>Tapuach</i> [lit. apple; a pile] The <i>Tapuach</i> was in the middle of the top of the altar. Sometimes there was approximately three hundred <i>kor</i> [measurement of volume] on it. During pilgrimage festivals, they would not remove its ash, because it was a decoration for the altar [to show that it was being used frequently]. During the days [of the Temple], the priests were never lazy about removing the ash [when there was too much].