198 ON T.HE COMPOSITION OF SOILS, &C. 



and hastening putrefaction ; but as before shown, 

 lime possesses a directly opposite quality; it not 

 only prevents, but arrests putrefaction, and is 

 therefore in fact, antiseptic ; and it is the action 

 of this principle which renders soils prolific. 

 Lime is, certainly, a most powerful agent in the 

 decomposition of animal and vegetable matter, 

 but it is on a principle more analogous to that 

 of fire ; as in the instances before stated, it not 

 only prevents the effects of putrefaction, which 

 are obnoxious to vegetables, but it accelerates 

 the formation of those compounds w-hich are 

 essential to fertility. 



It is stated in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 

 " Where the ground has been suffered to remain 

 " uncultivated for many ages, producing all 

 " that time succulent plants, which are easily 

 *' putrefied, and trees, the leaves of which, like- 

 " wise contribute to enrich the ground, by thek 

 *' falling of}' and mixing with it, the soil w^ill in a 

 " manner be totally made up of pure vegetable 

 " earth, and be the richest when cultivated, that 

 •' can be imagined. This was the case with the 

 " lands of America ; they had remained unculti- 

 " vated perhaps since the creation, and were 

 '* endow^ed witli an extraordinary degree of fer- 

 " tility ; nevertheless, we are assured by one 

 " who went to America, in order to purchase 



