THE t ARMEKS' RilGlSTEK. 



39 



in what mode it is most advantageously applied ; 

 and whether there is reason to believe that it 

 would be adapted to limestone soil like ours, ori- 

 ginally rich, but in many places much worn by 

 cultivation?" 1 never was in Fiederick, anJ 

 know but little of its soils, except that they gene- 

 rally differ from those on which my practice has 

 been tried, and wiih which [ am best acquainted. 

 Your own judgment can best determine when any 

 practice which may be profitable here, will also 

 be advisable in your situation ; and for that pur- 

 pose, it will be necessary (or me to slate concisely 

 my view ol" ihe means by which lime acts, and 

 the different effocis produced, referring you (or 

 the reasons on which they rest to my essay in 

 vol. 3, American Farmer. 



The principal action of both sand and clay is 

 mechanical, and therelbre large proportions are 

 required to produce perceptible effects as manures. 

 But from the presence or abs'nce of a very small 

 proportion of lime in soils, important results are 

 produced, because in common cases lime acts che- 

 mically, and not mechanically. Clay has but little 

 power, and sand none, in holding vegetable or ani- 

 mal manures: but lime combines with them strong- 

 ly, fixes them in the soil, and yields them solely to 

 the growing crop. Hence, withoutlime, nosoil can 

 be long otherwise than barren. Though most 

 soils are more or less deficient, none capable ol 

 supporting vegetation can be entirely destitute 

 of lime in some form. This property of lime, oi 

 combining with and fixing manures, may be ad- 

 vantageously used on every soil which nature has 

 not made abundantly calcareous : but this benefit 

 must necessarily be gradual, never quickly per- 

 ceptible, nor can it be expected at all, unless on 

 soils under meliorating culture, which will allow 

 more to return to the earth than is taken off'. 



The next most important effect of lime is that of 

 neutralizing acids. Lime is never furnished by na- 

 ture pure, as it attracts acids so strongly as always 

 to be combined with some one or other — and most 

 generally with carbonic, the weakest and most 

 abundant of all, and with it torms mild lime, or cal- 

 careous earth. This acid is driven off by strong 

 heat, leaving the lime then pure, (or caustic,) or it 

 will readily yield its place to any stronger acid 

 which may be brought in contact. Thus, if a bit 

 of chalk or limestone be thrown into diluted aqua 

 fortis, the strong acid seizes on the lime, the weak- 

 er escapes in air bubbles, and (if enough lime is 

 used) the acidity and other qualities oC the aqua 

 fortis are entirely destroyed. Such a process takes 

 place in most of oursoils when lime is applied, and 

 probably may in some of yours. Decaying vege- 

 tables or other causes produce acids, which either 

 combine with lime and form useful manures, or if 

 all Ihe lime has been already taken up, poison both 

 crop and land. The mark of an acid soil is a vigo- 

 rous growth of pine, whortleberry or sheep-sorrel. 

 When enough lime (whether mild or caustic) is 

 applied to a soil of this kind, the poisonous acid is 

 destroyed, one cause of barrenness removed, and 

 the first crop maybe increased from 50 to even 

 200 per cent, belbre any other effect of limecomes 

 into action. 



There are several other minor benefits from 

 lime, with a detail of which I shall not trouble 

 you; for if my opinions are well founded, the two 

 properties of fixing raanuree and neutralizing acids 

 are nifficient to ibow that lime (and nothing else 



but lime) will enable us to make durable and pro- 

 fitable improvements on such soils as are naturally 

 poor. 



Since the publication of my early experience of 

 marl, (as we improperly call the bed ol fossil 

 shells.) my opinion has suHered no change or 

 abatement as to the value of that manure. I 

 have extended the improvement over my farm as 

 fast as possible, and generally wiih great benefit, 

 though sometimes to loss. Not (earine any irijury, 

 I applied in most cases froiu 500 to 800 heape(J 

 bushels of shell marl per acre, about one third of 

 which, on an average, was pure calcareous earth 

 — and the crops of the present and preceding year 

 have given proof that I was too lavish in the 

 application. Several oCmy neighbors (bund equal 

 injury Irom smaller dressings, but on land not 

 secured from ffrazing, or more severely cropped 

 than mine. Where equal quantities were put on, 

 the injury on my land was in proportion to the 

 poverty or sandiness of the soil, or the deficiency 

 of vegetable matter : under opposite circumstan- 

 ces, no injury was produced even where 1000 to 

 1200 bushels had been laid on. The remedy (or 

 this error then is apparent — and where too much 

 mild lime has been given, the soil is made more 

 able to retam and profit bv the vegetable matter 

 which is then wanting. No soils have yet suffer- 

 ed in this way except such as were before acid, 

 which induces the belief that the salt of lime 

 (formed with the vegetable acid) causes this 

 disease — and unless enough dead vegetable mat- 

 ter be present lor this salt to act on, that it will 

 injure the growing crop. Though I have lost 

 some crop, and much labor, by these heavy dress- 

 ings, the result has not discouraged me; it only 

 shows the manure to be much stronger than I 

 thought, and that less will be sufficient to produce 

 either benefit or injury. Candor requires the 

 statement of loss from marling, which however 

 could not have occurred either to my neighbors or 

 myself, if the advice I Ibrmerly gave had been at- 

 tended to, vi.-j. : to apply the manure in small 

 quantities, and repeat it as might be found neces- 

 sary; and not to use it at all, if exhausting cultiva- 

 tion was to be continued. No first crop after 

 marling has suffered by this disease, (and its 

 marks are too evident to be overlooked :) and 

 when it has occurred in the second rotation, it 

 never reduced the crop so low as the product of 

 the land in its previous state. Another fact is 

 wot-thy of observation : on spots where wheat of 

 this and last year's crop was almost destroyed by 

 overliming, clover stood and grew so well, that it 

 promises to draw off the excess of the salt of lime, 

 or otherwise to furnish enough vegetable matter 

 to balance and cure the evil. Of This, however, 

 my experience is as yet too limited to be consider- 

 ed as furnishing conclusive evidence. 



When not diseased, the crops of the second 

 rotation have been always as good, and sometimi s 

 much better, than the first crops after the fossil 

 shells were applied. This increase was looked (or, 

 and promised, before liicts had proved this effijct 

 of lime. My later experiments with first dress- 

 ings give results similar to those already publish- 

 ed. But the most satisfactory proof 1 can offer 

 you of the value of calcareous manures, is a state- 

 ment of my crops of wheat, which having been 

 generally ray only article for sale, and always the 

 most important, as much as possible was raised, 



