Ga8 Lime. — Last month it was said, among "Answers to Correspondents," that "gas 

 lime was worthless as a manure." Tiiis has brouglit us the foHowing letter on the subject, 

 ■which wo give entire: 



"In the March number of the Ilorllailturist you say 'lime refuse of the gas works is worthless 

 fts a nifuiure.' I have used tliis article some in coinpostiui^ with swuinp muck, and on u fallow 

 last summer ; and my ideas about it are so very diflerent, I am iueliued to ask you to favor us 

 with the reasons why you condemn it. 



"I am satisfied there is in most of our soih, of whatever name, a vast amount of valuable, yet 

 inactive, vegetable matter. Beside this, Providence has collected, (for our use, no doubt,) in 

 every part of our land, immense beds of muck, of itself sour and dead, but which may be converted 

 into active fertilizing manure. This can best be accomplished by the use of alkaline salts. These 

 will render this otherwise dead and inactive mold available to plants. They also, if wisely ap- ' 

 plied, attract ammonia from the atmosphere, promote decomposition of the soil, and themselves 

 decomposed by the power of the plant enter largely into its formation. Kow, according to Prof. 

 Jon.NSTON, this lime refuse, after a little exposure to the air, is more than one-half carbonate of 

 li7ne — one of the best alkaline salts, possessing great quickening power. About one-fifih is sul- 

 phate of lime (gypsum). This, we all kuow, is good. About ten per cent, is water and coal-tar ; 

 two per cent. Prussian blue; and three per cent, alumina and oxide of iron. If these are facts, 

 why is this lime worthless? I ask for information. T. C. Maxwell. — Geneva, iV. Y." 



And our excellent contemporary, The American Agriculturist^ has the following : 



" Lime refuse from the gas works is pronounced worthless as a manure. We should like to 

 know the evidence on which this opinion is based. A large per cent, of it is still caustic lime, 

 and we have never seen any evidence that it would not answer to decompose peat and coarse 

 vegetable matter as well as other lime. If we recohcct rightly, the late Professor Kouton recom- 

 mends it for this purpose. It is the cheapest source of lime accessible to those who live near our 

 large cities. A farmer near us uses it iu large quantities, and we have never heard that it was 

 not satisfactory in its action. If any of our readers has had experience iu its use, we should like 

 to have their opinions, and the reasons for then)." 



With due deference to these authorities, we have a decidedly poor opinion of lime rubbish 

 from the gas works. We shall be as glad to learn that it is thus valuable as any o:ie else, for 

 we have a pretty large interest in the matter of manures. Some years ago we were informed 

 by a very intelligent gentleman near Toronto, that it was not worth hauling two miles — 

 that they had tried it to their entire satisfaction ; yet it might be valuable elsewhere, or 

 under other circumstances. We have seen an analysis by Prof. .Toii.vsox, in which he found 

 in 112 lbs., 56 lbs. of water, 20 lbs. of carbonic acid, and .36 lbs. of lime and sulphur. This 

 36 lbs. is about the same as gypsum, and is all we should coissider of any particular value. 



Dr. Ure, the celebrated chemist, has described it as " vile refuse, which should be buried 

 many fathoms deep in some barren region, for when spread on the farmer's field, after dis- 

 charging sulphuretted hydrogen with vapor of i)russic and other malignant ga?es, its sulphur 

 gets oxygenated into sulphuric acid — two volatile products alike detrimental to plants." 



After all this, it may possess a certain value for mixing with muck, or other material, to 

 form composts, but does it possess sufficient value to be worth hauling, when man and horse 

 labor is high, and when freshlime and gypsum can be had at very nntderate prices? This 

 ^s the question Avith us. ITow can a large per cent, of it remain caustic, as the Agriculturist 

 says, after the process it goes through in purifying gas? To get at its true value, we must 

 ascertain what proportion is useful as a manure, or for compost ; then count up the cost of 

 g, spreading, turning, and preparing t\)r use. The great item of expense for manure, 

 us, is the labor of men and horses in getting it. We await more particular information. 



