1838] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



143 



have perceived as good effects from half the quan- 

 tity. 



Mv first application of shell lime, was on a fiil- 

 lovved lot of about 10 acrep. This lot was very 

 poor. It had been completely exhausted by a 

 wretched cuhivaiion without ditches. It would 

 not have produced a barrel of corn to the acre. 

 To a moiety of this lot, I applied lime at the rate 

 of 100 bushels per acre on the plousrhed surface 

 without any other manure, harrowed and sowed 

 rye over the whole lot. As i\\r as the lime ex- 

 tended, the rye was killed as fist as it vejTetated. 

 The quantity was too irreat for the poverty of the 

 land, and for a top-dressino;. I saw my error ; 

 but my neighbors who had predicted a failure, 

 smiled and said, " I told you so." The next 

 spring I plouched the land as far as the lime had 

 killed the rye, and sowed oats. It produced a 

 ffood crop. The rye was scanty. The next year 

 I ploughed the same lot and planted corn. As 

 far as limed, it produced by estimate three barrels 

 of corn, the unlimed moiety not more than a bar- 

 rel to the acre. After corn, the limed portion was 

 sown in wheat. A little farm-pen manure was 

 scattered lightly as a top-dressing on part of it, 

 the remainder had none. Clover was sown on 

 the wheat in the spring and harrowed in. The 

 wheat was tolerable ; about 8 bushels per acre. 

 The clover which followed took well, and pro- 

 duced a pretty good crop. A part of it was cut 

 for food. My neicrhbors were a little astonished, 

 nay, they were convinced, and from that time has 

 lime been looked upon favorably, and some exer- 

 tions made to obtain it for manure. This lot laid 

 two years in clover not grazed, was fallowed this 

 fall; the unlimed moiety was marled on the sur- 

 face (150 bushels per acre,) and manured with 

 stable and farm-pen manure, and the whole lot 

 sown in wheat. It is up, and now looks well. 

 The portion marled did not destroy the wheat as 

 the lime did the rye in the first instance, althouirh 

 the proportion of carbonate of lime was about the 

 same in both cases. It is true the marl had 

 manure with it, which no doubt prevented any 

 injury from that mode of applying it. The lime 

 had no manure to prevent injury from its causti- 

 city. 



On another lot containing about 15 acres, which 

 had been also reduced to as low a degree as that 

 just described, I applied lime in the following man- 

 ner. This lot had been permitted to lie two years 

 without cultivation or frrazinsr, and a heavy coat 

 of coarse water-grass had grown up on it. It had 

 been subjected to water, and was much water- 

 sobbed, and very close. It is what is called a 

 ^crawfish soil.' I had the whole lot ploughed up 

 in the latter part of the summer, when the grass 

 on it was yet green, and after being ploughed, I 

 put on about one-fourth of the lot lime at the rate 

 of 70 bushels, on another fourth at the rate of 35 

 bushels, and on the remainder no lime. The whole 

 lot was planted in corn. As far as the lime went, 

 there was no visible difference in the corn. The 

 land containing 70 bushels produced no better 

 than that which had only 35 bushels of lime. 

 Bui up to the line where the lime ceased, the dif- 

 ference could be seen in the corn. That limed 

 was estimated to produce three barrels, that not 

 limed one barrel and a half of corn. Let us n^w 

 see how the cost would stand. I purchased this 

 lime Irora persons whom I employed to collect 



shells, burn them into lime, and deliver it at my 



landing at 10 cents per huslicl; the cost therefore 



per acre would be as follows : 



70 bushels lime at 10 cts. per bushel, $7,00 



Carting and spreading, say 2 cts., 1,40 



Whole expense per acre, 

 Difference of product between 



limed and unlimed : 

 1,1 barrels corn at .^4,50, 



the 



88,40 



>,75 



Balance of cost for the first year, $ 1,65 

 The next year the same lot was put in oats — ■ 

 the limed was doubly as good as the unlimed, 

 and more than paid the balance due from the ex- 

 pense of liming. If the calculation be made at 35 

 bushels of lime per acre, a profit would accrue the 

 first year as follows : 

 35 bushels lime at 10 cts., $3,50' 



Carting and spreading, 2 cts., 70 



Expense per acre. 

 Difference of product between the 

 limed and unlimed : 



1^ barrels corn at $4.50 per barrel. 



$4,20 



5,75 



$2,55 



Profit per acre, 



From this statement, the conclusion may be 

 drawn, that the smaller quantity is as beneficial 

 to the first crop as a greater ; but it would require 

 a speedier repetition of the lime, and I do not 

 doubt the larger dressing will eti'ect a greater ul- 

 timate improvement of the soil. 



My observation of the effects of carbonate of 

 lime, has in no instance discovered any thing con- 

 tradictory of the positions laid down in your 'Es- 

 say on Calcareous Manures;' on the contrary, so 

 far as they have extended, have been confirmato- 

 ry. It has confirmed the facts : 1st, That where 

 lime is applied sorrel will disappear. My land, 

 where lime was put, had been very subject to the 

 growth of sorrel. It was a cold, compact, sour 

 soil, but becomes more open, puts up a different 

 growth of grass; and I noticed on a lot partly limed 

 and partly not, that the cows, when permitted 

 to graze it, would invariably go to that part which 

 had been limed; thus showing that a sweeter and 

 more nutritious grass grew on it. 2d, That lime 

 renders land fit lor wheat which had not been be- 

 fore adapted to that grain. I have cultivated 

 wheat with success upon land which had never 

 been considered adapted to wheat, and had never 

 produced that grain until lime was applied. 3d, 

 That it causes clover to grow luxuriantly on land 

 that would not previously produce it. Here I 

 would remark, that I have been strongly impress- 

 ed with the conviction, that your views of the ac- 

 tion of gypsum on land after liming, are correct. 

 I never could believe the old opinion, that the sea 

 air operated to prevent the action of this powerful 

 manure. Your view is more reasonable and phi- 

 losophical. I had used gypsum on some of the 

 same land now limed, before it had been limed, 

 without perceiving the least benefit. It is my in- 

 tention next spring to try it again on the same 

 land. The results I may perhaps communicate, 

 as I look upon it as a matter of great importance 

 to all who design to lime or marl their lands. 

 W.M. Shultice. 



