THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



293 



of our high-lands, where pine is the prevailing 

 growth, are of this description. Here the soil is 

 generally ofa light silicious character; and here 

 lime, judiciously applied, I doubt not, is very be- 

 neficial in rendering the manures permanent. 

 The great desideratum here is something to 

 neutralize the acid, and as it is well known, that 

 alkalies will have this effect, lime, next to manure, 

 roust be the "one thing needful." 



One word as to the discussion which has been 

 going on for a short time between Mr. Nicol and 

 myselfl The editor, in -the last number of the 

 Register, calls it a "controversy,^'' and seems to 

 intimate that it has been carried on with unkind 

 feelings. Now to this term, and to this insinua- 

 tion, so far as I am concerned, I enter my so- 

 lemn protest. I never entertained one unkind 

 feeling towards Mr. Nicol; and judging from 

 what appears in his " rejoinder," I would think 

 that his feelings are as kmd and respectful to- 

 wards me. The truth is, that when 1 wrote my 

 piece, 1 mistook my man. His communication 

 was dated "Sandy Point," and from his frequent 

 reference to the same place, 1 naturally supposed 

 that he was the proprietor of that great estate. 

 As such I prepared a dish into which I threw 

 some salt. » * * * * 



* * * In fact, I made it 



a pretty pungent affair. But then this mess was 

 not intended for Mr. Nicol. * * * 



Had I known or even suspected that Mr. Nicol 

 was the worthy manager and not the proprietor 

 of that great estate, my bill of fare, if I had fijr- 

 nished any at all, would have been of a very dif- 

 ferent order. I now not only know who Mr. 

 Nicol is, but have had the pleasure of seeing him 

 at the late meeting of our Agricultural Society. 

 I was exceedingly busy on that day, so much so 

 that I could only give him a cordial shake of the 

 hand, intending to intimate that 1 had no unkind 

 feeling towards him, and if he had any towards 

 me, 1 verily believe that 1 shook it out of him. 

 So that we are now better friends than we ever 

 were before. 



But I must say one word to the editor. He 

 says, he has pruned both of us. How much he 

 pruned Mr. Nicol, I cannot tell ; but he has 

 pruned me so close as to leave almost nothing 

 but the stump. Finding, as he supposed, too 

 much salt and other seasoning in my dish, he 

 undertook to take it out, and in so doing, he will 

 allow me to say, he has pretty nearly verified the 

 old saying, that "too many cooks spoil the 

 broth." It therefore he will allow me to "shoot 

 no more bolts," he will in his turn be very care- 

 ful as to the criticisms which he admits on my 

 anonymous essays. I feel just as tenderly for 

 my brats without a name as with a name. 



J. H. TURNEU. 



Notes by the Editor. 



(a.) It has never been our usage, nor inclina- 

 tion, to exercise the almost universally assumed 

 editorial privilege of replying to opponents in ad- 

 vance of the publication of the pieces so answer- 

 ed ; nor even to answer by appended notes, as 

 will be done here, and has been done in a few 

 former cases when, like this, it was manifestly 



more convenient and better for the clear under- 

 standing of both sides to take that course. In_ 

 the present case, the manner of the call made 

 upon us, and our respect for the source from which 

 it proceeds, both forbid us to neglect it, and pass it 

 by silently. And yet, if it were attempted to answer 

 the call fully, and in a separate and substantive 

 article, it would be necessary to quote and repeat 

 the many questions, and state at length the many 

 objections or difficulties to be replied to, so that 

 the reply could not be otherwise than very vo- 

 luminous and tedious. Therefore, to save time 

 and words, we shall take the liberty of appending 

 in notes, at the end of the communication, the 

 particular answers or remarks that may seem ne- 

 cessary — and will refer to other accessible sources 

 for the more full information which may still be 

 wanting, notwithstanding these notes. 



The ground of discussion now presented by 

 our correspondent is altogether different from 

 what we had asked for and expected. We had 

 requested (at page 154,) a statement of the par- 

 ticulars of his own applications of lime, which 

 had totally failed of effect, (really or apparently;) 

 and we had hoped to be able to find out from such 

 statement of particulars, and to point out, the 

 causes of the failures. But instead of our bemg 

 permitted to pursue that course, and perhaps to 

 occupy something of new ground on this sub- 

 ject, Mr. Turner has gone more upon theoretical 

 views than practical matters, and has required 

 many answers and reasons which had been (as 

 we had supposed) already presented by us at suffi- 

 cient length, and with sufficient clearness, in pre- 

 vious publications — and which, if repeated here, 

 would be a long and wearisome task. For 

 one question put to him, he has answered by 

 asking twenty more. In some respects, if not 

 all, to which the foregoing observations may ap- 

 ply, our esteemed correspondent must pardon us 

 for expressing the doubt whether the fault which 

 causes the necessity of lurther explanation to him 

 of our views be not more in his own slight atten- 

 tion heretofore given, rather than of our want 

 of fulness and explicitness in former statements. 

 However, be that as it may, we desire above all 

 things to be as plain and as clear and intelligible as 

 possible in all writings upon agriculture ; and we 

 will bear in mind these our friend's difficulties and 

 objections, as well as any others known, and en- 

 deavor to remove some of them, hereafter, by 

 using still greater care in preparing the next edi- 

 tion of the essay to which he has referred in such 

 kind and gratifying terms of general commenda- 

 tion. The publication of such an edition, en- 



