194 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



replacing it by one cssenlial to both man and 

 brutes, exhibiting a most adniirable provision ot 

 nature, to which we must refer that liealihlulness 

 of a country lite, which, coinbinetJ wiih active ex- 

 ercise and the enjoyment of rural t^ports, nialies the 

 mere consciousness of existence a pleasurable 

 sensation. It is also an admitted opinion among 

 vegetable physiologists, that plants have the pro- 

 perly of secreting from the soil that sort of tbod 

 which is most congenial to their own wants, whilst 

 they, at the same time, excrete, or throw oti', that 

 which is best suited lor their own growths. If 

 this doctrine could be well established by experi- 

 mental results, the pursuit of the agriculturist 

 would become a science Jbunded upon an immu- 

 iable basis, and a consistent sysiem of rotation in 

 ciops would secure to him a perpetual recurrence 

 ut good crops. But it must be acknowledged that 

 this is the most obscure department of vegetable 

 physiology. 



As to the action of lime, or rather carbonate of 

 lime, I can conceive it to operate in three in)por- 

 tant ways. 1st, As a neutralizer of any acidity of 

 the soil wliich renders it prone to throw out asces- 

 cent growths, such as sorrel, pines, briars, &c., that 

 intertere with the production of plants that atlord 

 farinaceous seeds, in which case it may be sup- 

 posed, by a new combination, to give out its car- 

 bon to the growing vegetable. 2d, As an amend- 

 er of soils ; since it undoubtedly contributes to 

 stitfen a loose soil, and gives body and consisten- 

 cy to a porous and sandy one, thereby improving 

 its physical condition. And 3d, As a septic, or 

 decomposer of the vegetable matters that may 

 have existed in, or been applied to a soil, reducing 

 ihem into soluble compounds, fitted to the nourish- 

 );vent of vegetable lile. These 1 conceive to be the 

 most immediate benefits derived from the applica- 

 tion of lime; but it would seem to act also bene- 

 Hcially as an absorbent of moisture, lor it has been 

 ibund to protect soils Irora the pernicious efiects of 

 a drought, and when used lor making compost, its 

 utility and actionare aseasily understood asexplain- 

 ed. When applied in alternate layers, with sta- 

 ble manure, or vegetable and animal matters of 

 any kind, a powerful itirmentation takes place, 

 which gives rise to the tbrmation of a compound 

 called ammonia, and to the production of carbonic 

 acid. A re-aclion soon takes place between these 

 two substances, and a carbonate of ammonia, is 

 thus formed, together with numerous other salts; 

 and the whole mass is converted into a powerful 

 manure. Lime is further serviceable to the farm- 

 er, by enabling him to destroy the insects and 

 the seeds of weeds that Irequently accumulate 

 in the barn yard manure ; for by applying it in 

 its caustic state in alternate layers with the ma- 

 nure, sufficient heat is generated to destroy them 

 efieoUially; and this operation produces, more- 

 over, a variety of soluble salts, that increase the 

 action of the manure, if it be used belbre they 

 have been removed by rain. There is another 

 combination of lime which is very valuable to 

 the agriculturist ; it is that in which it exists in 

 bones, that are principally composed of phos- 

 phate 0/ lime. Most extraordinary results have 

 been obtained by the use of ground bones as a 

 top-dressing, especially on buckwheat crops. 



It tbllows from the above consideration, that it is 

 a matter of much importance to the Maryland farm- 

 ers, (0 obtain lime at as cheap a rate as possible. 



Desirous of serving them in this way, I have turn- 

 ed my attention to the subject of lime-burning; 

 and after reflecting upon the theory of the opera- 

 tion, and coiisuliing tlie practice of the most ex- 

 perienced lime-burners in the state, I think I am 

 enabled to give seme simple directions, I he obser- 

 vance of which will have the desired efT'ect. 



In the first place, as regards the consiruction of 

 the kiln, 1 recommend that it should be in the 

 shape ofa truncated egg at both extremities, with 

 the but-end downwards, contracting the upper 

 extremity, so as to make it act in the manner of a 

 reverberatory furnace. Its shape should be very 

 symmetrical, with a view of securing a unilbrm 

 draft in all parts; and it should be built with so- 

 lidity, of the most refractory material, with an 

 elevation of about twenty-two leet, and a bulge 

 at its greatest diameter of eleven leet. A kiln of 

 the size will burn from 1,000 !o 1,200 bushels of 

 lime. 



Next, in conducting the operation, which, ac- 

 cording to the present practice, lasis at the least 

 three days and three nights, all lime-burners agree 

 that on the morning of the third day, their kilnS' 

 become choked up by something which prevent© 

 the formation of fresh lime, and during the whole 

 of which they are burning wood apparently to no 

 purpose. The cause of this choking, when the 

 kiln, in popular language, is said by some to be 

 ''sot," and by others "glued," is owing to the 

 accumulation of that peculiar gas which it is the 

 object of the burning to separate liom the lime, in 

 order to bring it into a pulverulent state. This 

 carbonic acid gas, as it is termed, is very heavy, 

 so that where it has thus accumulated, it forms a 

 dense atmosphere, binding round each unburnt 

 portion of stone, and thereby impeding the pro- 

 gress of its calcination. It is true that by urging 

 the fire, the gas finally becomes so rarefied as to 

 be expelled ; but this is the unprofitable part of the 

 labor, which may be avoided by simply throwing 

 some water over the kiln. The water immedi- 

 ately absorbs the gas, the kiln is relieved, and the 

 calcination proceeds as rapidly as in the first stages- 

 of the progress. In corroboration of this view, I 

 have found that it agrees with the experience of 

 several observant lime-burners, one of whom in- 

 formed me, that on an occasion, when his kiln vvae 

 in the condition above described, his hands be- 

 coming impatient at the delay of their expected 

 results, bethought themselves of ascending to the 

 top of the kilnand fanning it with their hats, and 

 were surprised to find their operations, by this 

 simple act, greatly hastened. The efleet \ya8 

 evidently, in this case, to remove by ventilation 

 the dense atmosphere of gas, as previously stated^ 

 that by its pressure prevented calcination of the 

 lime-stone. Another tells me that under similar 

 circumstances, the same phenomenon was pro- 

 duced by the timely occurrence ofa shower of rain. 



!f our lime-burners then will adopt the plan of 

 kiln described above, and resort to the simple de- 

 vice just suggested for expediting their operations, 

 I have not the least doubt that they will find in it 

 a saving of one-third of their time, labor and fuel; 

 and by so doing, they will be enabled to aflford 

 this most invaluable material at one-third less than 

 its present cost, putting it thus within the means 

 of a much greater number of farmers, to reap the 

 benefits to be derived from its use. 



