226 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER, 



ately after harvest, when the land haa got the 

 first furrow. He first makes a pnir of harrows go 

 backward and forward on each ridge to smooth it, 

 then lays down the shells in huts about 60 or 80 

 bolls per acre Scotch ; as soon as it is powderfid, 

 he spreads the huts, and harrows the field, and 

 lets it remain till May, when it may be prepared 

 for receiving the dung. 



Mr. Brodie of Garvald, who has long paid pe- 

 culiar and successful attention to the management 

 of lime, adopts the following plan in applying lime 

 to his turnip land. After the ground intended lor 

 turnips has got a winter and a spring furrow, the 

 lime is laid on, and well harrowed in : it then gets 

 another furrow before making up the drills, and is 

 again well harrowed, for the double purpose of 

 getting the lime intimately mixed with the soil, 

 and taking out any quickens, or other weeds, by 

 which the field is infested. The turnips are sown 

 in drills, both as being better for the turnip crop 

 than when sown broadcast, and the lands are got 

 belter cleaned, either from annual or perennial 

 weeds. It is reckoned an advantage, to have the 

 lime got forward during the former summer, pre- 

 vious to its being laid on for turnips ; for on a tur- 

 nip farm, there is so much spring labor, that it is 

 hardly possible to drive any considerable quantity 

 of lime, from any distance, at that season of the 

 year. When it ia new from the kiln, it is so hot, 

 that it is apt to dry up the moisture necessary for 

 bringing the turnips into leaf; in this case, the 

 lime ought to be laid on a piece of very dry 

 ground, in large heaps, and thrown up to a con- 

 siderable thickness, which will make it in a fine 

 state for laying on in the spring, that is, neither 

 in a wet, or in a very hot state. 



In regard to green crops. Mr. Paterson of Cas- 

 tle-Huntly thinks it better to lay on the lime after 

 the green crop, rather than before it, so as it may 

 be well mixed with the soil, before it comes in 

 contact with potatoes or other roots, it being apt 

 to burn and blister their skins, and to spoil iheir 

 appearance, if it does no more mischief^ Some 

 farmers, however, have put lime upon the ground 

 after it is planted with potatoes, and harrowed it 

 in. But this practice cannot be recommended. 



The application of lime to grass, particularly 

 on light or dry soils, and where the land has been 

 long pastured, ia a most advantageous system, 

 if it is soon after to be brought into culture; 

 otherwise, being exposed to the atmosphere, with 

 but little admixture with the soil, it cakes and 

 hardens, and in some measure re-aseumes that 

 unproductive quality, which it possessed, pre- 

 viously to its being reduced to a caustic state. It 

 may be applied alter the land has been a summer 

 in pasture, or cut for hay ; but the ground should 

 be made as bare as possible, otherwise it will be 

 difficult to spread it equally over the sward or sur- 

 face. The lime should be laid on in autumn, 

 and the land should remain in grass lor another 

 ■eason, till it ia absorbed. If intended to be ap- 

 plied to old ley, either lay tlie lime on one year 

 before cropping, letting it lie upon the surface, or 

 lay it on about Martinmas, and let it lie on the 

 surface till February, then plough it down, and 

 80W the ground when the weather is suitable. 

 Suffering the ground to remain lor some years 

 in grass, is certainly the best preparation lor lime, 

 as it haa then fresh mould, and vegetable matter, 

 to act upon. 



Mr. Culhbertson recommends, that no lirae 

 should be laid on high ridges that are intended to 

 be flattened ; the ridge should be brought to the 

 same round in which it is intended to remain, be- 

 fore that operation is accomplished, because, in 

 performing it, there is a great risk of burying the 

 lime. Mr. Barclay remarks, that when the ap- 

 plication is made, the land should not be too wet ; 

 and it is necessary, at all times, to have the lime 

 brought to such order, as neither to fly otT with 

 the wind, nor go into clods in thesf)reading. 



Mr. Brodie of Garvald observes, that some 

 speculative agriculturists recommend liming upon 

 the surface, to extirpate the heath, and improve 

 the pasturage, without attempting to bring ground 

 under the plough, as the soil and climate may be 

 unfit for the raising of grain. If the lime is at 

 any considerable distance, there is reason to sus- 

 pect that this would not turn out a profiiable con- 

 cern. At the distance of eight or ten miles, a 

 good liming would not cost less than £10 or 

 £12 the Scolch acre. It cannot be expected that 

 this improvement, on such hills as those of Lam- 

 mermuir, would even pay the interest of the mo- 

 ney. Gentlemen proprietors may improve at this 

 rate, but a tenant would be extremely imprudent, 

 were he to throw away his capital, without a pros- 

 pect of being repaid. It is surely better to lime 

 land worth the improving, to bring it under the 

 plough, and then to take a kw corn crops to re- 

 fund the expense. The tenant is tnus reimbursed, 

 and has an ameliorated pasture, as the reward 

 of his industry and superior management. 



Though liming the surface, " to extirpate heath, 

 and improve pasturage," may not be a profitable 

 concern on old swards, it is proper to observe, 

 that when land is broken up, merely for the sake 

 of improving the pasturage, the best, and most 

 economical mode is, to app'y lime to the surface, 

 and to harrow it along with the grass seeds. A 

 great extent of hilly pasture has thus been im- 

 proved by Mr. Dawson, and others, in Rox- 

 burghshire.* 



6. Mr. Kerr, the intelligent reporter of the 

 husbandry of Berwickshire, has transmitted to 

 me the following calculation of the expense of 

 liming. The lime he used was brought by sea 

 to Eyemouth ; and the price, besides carriage, 

 amounted to 2bd. per boll, in shells, each boll con- 

 taining four Winchester bushels ; hence to lime 

 an acre of land with 35 bolls, will cost about £3, 

 155., besides carriage and spreading, which, the 

 distance being short, may amount to lOs. more, 

 or £3, 5s, per acre ; and as this operation was 

 usually repeated twice during a lease of nineteen 

 years, liming, in his situation, may be considered 

 as a yearly charge of lOs. per acre. 



How astonished would not many farmers be in 

 other counties, when they hear that Scotch farm- 

 ers subject themselves to an expense of lOs. per 

 acre per avnitm, for lime alone, a sum not much 

 inferior to the average rent of land in many Eng- 

 lish counties. But the expense is well bestowed, 

 were it only from the benefit thence to be derived 

 in the cultivation of green crops of every descrip- 

 lion. For though such crops can be raised by 

 large quantities of dung, yet where calcareous 



* For a detailed account of this excellent method, 

 as practised by Mr. Dawson, see the Farmers' Maga- 

 zine for March, 1812, 



