10 Agriculture of Shropshire. 



drier and more open through the winter. Nor is there any 

 danger of waste upon this land, for the soil is quite fitted to 

 retain all the fertilizing matter of the dung ; in fact, the dung 

 which is ready in time for being put on the stubble is generally 

 used for this purpose — except when the young seeds come in for 

 a share, which is also an excellent plan — and it may be safely 

 said, that the limited supply of dung is the great cause of its 

 not being more generally adopted. The lime is generally 

 applied after the second ploughing, having been drawn to the 

 field during the frosts of winter and spring, and made into 

 heaps about the field, and intermixed with earth carted from near 

 the hedges. After being spread on the land, it is well inter- 

 mixed with the soil by the di'ags, scuffles, and harrows. It should 

 be distributed through the soil as completely as possible, lor 

 this is an important point, and materially increases its efficiency 

 in the land. When the lime is simply spread on the land after 

 the dragging and working has been done, and then ploughed 

 under, it is very apt to sink out of the soil, and becomes, prac- 

 tically speaking, lost ; whereas, if well mixed with the soil, this 

 is prevented. In addition to this, another inducement to have it 

 thoroughly distributed through the soil is the action Avhich it 

 exerts on the manure previously added to the land. The dung 

 is thus more completely decomposed, consequently becomes 

 more readily incorporated with the soil, and of more value in 

 promoting vegetable growth. 



The use of lime is certainly not so extensive as it was, and 

 many employ guano as a substitute, and the experience of those 

 who have done so is very strong in favour of the same results 

 being gained. Can it be that the experience of these true men 

 of practice is another instance of practice anticipating the dis- 

 coveries of science, and thereby adding some additional confirm- 

 ation to the opinions expressed, and the suggestions given, by 

 Professor Way, in that valuable Paper on the Influence of Lime 

 on the Absorptive Properties of the Soil?* In that investigation, 

 two important results were arrived at: "That soils and subsoils, 

 even long before the reach of ordinary farm operations, always 

 contain a very sensible quantity of ammonia. In some cases, the 

 quantity present is very many times more than would be added 

 in a very heavy dressing of guano, or other ammoniacal manure. 

 The second result which is exhibited by these experiments is (Jiat 

 the action of lime in the presence of water is to set free from the soil, 

 as nearly as possible, one half of the ammonia.''^ It is also worthy 

 of observation, that the extent to which soils possess the power 

 of absorbing ammonia from the atmosphere, is far beyond our 



* Journal of the Eoyal Agricultural Society, vol. xv. p. 512. 



