FARMERS' REGISTER. 



377 



destroy the insects and the seeds of weeds that fre- 

 queiilly accumulate in the barn yard manure ; lor 

 by u[)|)lyinir it in its caustic state m alternate layers 

 with tile manure, sulilcient heat is generated to 

 destroy tiiem eflectuaily ; and tliis operation pro- 

 duces, moreover, a variety ol'soluble salts, that in- 

 crease the action of tiie manure, if it be used be- 

 (bre they have been removed by rain. There is 

 another combination of" lime which is very valu- 

 able to the agriculturist ; it is that in which it ex- 

 ists in bones, tliut are principally contposed ol' 

 phospliate oi' lime. J\lost extraordinary results 

 have been obtained by the use of ijrounil bones 

 as a top dressing, especially on buckwheat crops. 



It fcillows from the above consideration, iliat it is 

 a matter ol' ir.ucii importance to the JNlaryland 

 farmers, to obtain lime at as cheap a rate as possi- 

 ble. Desirous of serving them in this way, I 

 have turned my attention to the subject of lime- 

 burning; and alter reflecting upon the theory ofthe 

 operation, and consulting the practice ol" the most 

 experienced lime-burners in the stale, I thiid< I am 

 enabled to give some simple directions, the observ- 

 ance of which will have the desireii ellect. 



In the first place, as regards the construction o(" 

 the liiln, I recommended that it should be in the 

 shape of a truncated egg at boili extremities, 

 with the but-end downwards, contraciinij 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 secur- 

 ing a unilbrm draft in all parts ; and it should be 

 built with solidity, of the most relraciory material, 

 with an elevation of about twenty-two leet, and 

 a bulge at its greatest diameter of eli^ven feet. 

 A kiln of the size will burn from 1,000 to 1,200 

 bushels of lime. 



Next in conducting the operation, which, ac- 

 cording to the present practice, lasts 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 pre- 

 vents the Ibrmation of fresh lime, and during the 

 wholeof which they are burninii wood apparently 

 to no purpose. The cause of tins 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 ofthe burning to separate from the lime, in 

 order to bring it into a pulverulent state. This car- 

 bonic acid gas, as it is leraied, 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 tjie 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 ofthe 

 labor, which may be avoided by simply throwing 

 some water over the kiln. The water immedi- 

 ately absorbs the ga?, 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 experipnce of 

 several observant lime-burners, one of whom in- 

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

 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 kiln and fanning it with their hats, 

 and were surprised to find their operations, by this 

 simple act, greatly hastened. The effect was evi- 



VoL. VIII-48 



dently, in this case, to remove by ventilation the 

 den.«e atmosphere ofgas, as previously stated, that 

 by its pressure prevented calcination of the lime- 

 stone. Another tells me that, uruler similar cir- 

 cumstances, th* same phenomenon was produced 

 by ihe timely occurrence of a shower ol" rain. 



If our lime-burners then will adopt the |)lan of 

 kiln described above, and resort to the simple de- 

 vice just suggested lor expediiing their operations, 

 I have not the least doubt that they will find 

 in it a saving of one third of their time, labor 

 and liiel; and by so doing they will be enabled to af- 

 lord this most invaluable material at one third less 

 than its present cost, putting if thus within the 

 means of a much greater number of farmers, to 

 reap the benefits to be derived from ks use. 



THE EARLIEST NOTICES OF SII.K CULTURE 

 OF THIS SEASON. 



It is yet too early to know much of successful 

 operations in rearing silk-worms this season, be- 

 cause lew such are yet fully completed and the 

 results ascertained, and none on a large scale. 

 But it is not too soon to iiave heard of many dis- 

 asters and losses, and even of total failures of 

 rearings attempted with insufficient preparation 

 and means. Scarcely one experimenter in twenty 

 has been properly provided to guard against the 

 usual changes of weather and usual degree of in- 

 clemency ; and much less so in regard to this sea- 

 son, which, to this date, (June 17th,) has been ge- 

 nerally very uiilavorable to silk culture, owing to 

 the predominance ofeiiher cold or rainy, or cloudy 

 and damp weather. Indeed, the weather of the 

 months so lar have been almost reversed, or eacli 

 month having the weather that properly belonged 

 to the next preceding or suceeding. In February, 

 the weather was warm and clear enough /"or the 

 usual warm parts of" JMarch ; and the young mul- 

 ticaulis trees generally were in leaf in the tide 

 water reg"ion some weeks before the usual time. 

 In March these first leaves were generally killed, 

 and there was severe frost, and ice. In part of 

 April there was very warm weather, which either 

 caused too early hatching of silk-worms' eggs, 

 where not safely and properly retarded in ice 

 houses, or invited new experimenters to hatch out 

 their main broods, as for settled warm weather. 

 Afrain, in May more than two-thirds of all the 

 days were either cold, cloudy, showery, or of set- 

 tled rain. Even in June, so far, with some very warm 

 days, there have been several others requiring 

 fires for comfort. 



Every person who has had the slightest expe- 

 rience of the rearing of silk-worms must know 

 that it is necessary to be able to protect them from 

 cold, and still more from dampness of the atmo- 

 sphere. And even should they be able to with- 



