TRAXSACTIOXS. 341 



5. If applied in too large quantity, it is liable to be in- 

 jurious to crops of young grain. But grass lands, though 

 at first browned by its application, soon recover and repay 

 the cost by yielding a greener and an earlier bite in spring. 



Gas lime, fresh from the works, it is also stated, is one 

 of the best materials to lay under the floors of farm build- 

 inrrs : for it not onlv serves to absorb and fix the fertilizing 

 gases in such situations, and afterwards will form a good 

 manure, but being excluded from the air, it retains its dis- 

 agreeable smell for a long time, and is much disliked by 

 vermin and rats. 



The Secretary requested Prof. Hubbard, of Dartmouth 

 College, to give us his opinion in relation to gas lime, to 

 be employed as an enriching agent. Below is his reply: 



Dear Sir: — The " Gas Lime" of which you inquire the 

 Talue in agriculture has been very little used as a manure. 

 The books speak of it in very few words, or not at all, 

 and experimenters mention it in unfavorable terms. John- 

 ston in his Agricultural Chemistry gpeaks of {Ca. S.) Sul- 

 phuret of Calcium as "fitted, when judiciously applied, to 

 promote the growth, especially of those plants in which 

 sulphur has been recognized as a necessary constituent." 



This is rather a statement of a principle, than of a rule 

 of practice — and no directions how to apply this substance 

 ^^judiciously" are given — probably because experience has 

 afforded no instruction. # 



Johnston says, " the refuse heaps of the alkali works on 

 the Tyne, contain much sulphur, and more gypsum — but the 

 farmers, perhaps naturally enough, consider that if the 

 works themselves do harm to their crops, the refuse of the 

 works can do them no good. Ther6 are thousands of tons 

 of this mixture which may be had for the loading (drawing) 

 away." 



There is resemblance between these two articles, in that 

 whenever sulphur is oxidized by ordinary atmospheric 

 oxidatioji, sulphuric acid may be produced. If a base, as 



