AGRICULTURAL TEXT-BOOK. 329 



solidates sands. 2. Chemical, (a,) increases the fertility of all 

 soils in which it does not already abound ; and especially of te 

 nacious, moist soils and those containing much inert vegetable 

 matter ; (b,) it improves the quality of the crop ; (c,) it increa 

 ses the effects of manure, calls into action that which is dormant, 

 and less manures needs afterwards be applied ; (dj alters the na 

 tural produce of the land by killing some plants and favoring the 

 growth of others it kills moss and sour grasses and brings up 

 sweet and tender herbage with clovers wheat has a thinner 

 skin, and yields more flour runs less to straw peas and beans 

 are of better quality, and so with most plants ; (ej it hastens 

 the maturity of the crop ; (fj it renders the whole country more 

 healthy, and plants less subject to diseases. 



Lime, indeed, can scarcely be applied judiciously to any soil 

 without benefit ; but it requires care and experience acting as it 

 does with a varying effect under different circumstances. 



The quantity of lime which ought to be added to a soil is of 

 course a question of experiment and practice. Theoretically 3 

 per cent of lime (finely disintegrated) at least, ought to be 

 present in a soil which contains an ordinary proportion of veg 

 etable matter and of the other food of plants. In order to add 

 1 per cent of lime to the land, the quantity to be laid on will 

 depend upon the depth. The following table shows the num 

 ber of tons of burned lime as it comes from the kiln, which will 

 give one per cent of lime to soils, respectively 3, 6, 9, and 1 2 

 inches in depth. 



If the depth of the soil be 12 ins. 9 ins. 6 ins. 3 ins. 



Tons of burned lime, per cent per cent per cent per cent 



16 tons give - 11424 



12 &quot; &quot; H 1 !&amp;gt;.&amp;gt; 3 



% % 1 2 



H % X i 



Quantity of quicklime applied per Imperial acre in different 

 localities : 



