LIME AND VARIOUS ARTIFICIAL MANURES, 107 



out in early spring, and afterwards came away thin and unhealthy. 

 Cereals were generally more or less drowned in a wet season, 

 (Aving to the undrained, and therefore wet state of the soil, and 

 also to the panned and hard nature of the subsoil tending to keep 

 up the surface water. The soil was in such a condition with 

 ]jottom water that any manure applied to it was partially lost. 

 It had never been ploughed deeper than from five to six inches, 

 according to the nature of the soil and subsoil. 



Such was the condition of the farm previous to 1868, about 

 wddch time I obtained the direct management and supervision of 

 it, and wdien I had the opportunity of draining it at a cost of G^ 

 per cent, on tlie outlay. Accordingly, in 1868 and 1869 I drained 

 the entire farm, at a cost of £1300, or about £5 an acre, and after 

 draining I subsoiled and trench ploughed it, from three to five 

 inches deeper than it had been previously ploughed, of course 

 cleaning out the stones as I went on. This style of ploughing I 

 confined entirely to my fallow break, thus taking five years to get 

 over the farm. 



I shall now proceed to take up the subject of my report, and 

 state the different ways in which I have applied lime, and the 

 various effects on the succeeding crops. I have always used 

 North Sunderland lime, and have applied it in quantities varying 

 from 2 to fully 4 tons an acre, according to the nature of the soil 

 to which it was being applied. I shall classify in order of merit 

 the different methods as I have proved them, with a brief 

 description of the modus operandi of each. 



I. After ploughing the fallow break in autumn, as soon as con- 

 venient after the removal of the oat crop, give the furrows a 

 double turn of the harrows as early in spring as the condition of 

 the soil will allow, in order to level the furrows and leave a 

 smootli surface. The lime shells are then laid down in heaps, six 

 yards apart, and if the soil is in a very damp condition on the 

 surface, cover the heaps up with it immediately when laid down, 

 and they will be in condition for spreading in the course of 

 twenty-four hours ; but if the soil should not be sufficiently damp, 

 take a water-cart and apply water to the heaps with a pail. A 

 labourer should be following immediately behind, covering them 

 up with soil, to keep the steam from escaping, and to get the lime 

 down to a nice powder, as uncovered it would simply come down 

 to a small churl, and not swell up into the nice mechanical con- 

 dition it does wdien covered ; besides, the covering of earth gives 

 more of a Ijody of material to spread, therefore allowing the 

 spreader a better chance of putting it on equally. I have found 

 1 ton of water do from 2 to 3 tons of lime, and have always 

 made a point of spreading it as sooii as could be thereafter, 

 that it might lose as little of its causticity as possible from 

 exposure to the air, or perhaps rain, thereby rendering it unfit for 



