1889] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



'335 



make a good return, without considering that a 

 field, so treated, was not to be recovered tor a cen- 

 tury afterwards. Indeed, when lime duly ope- 

 rates, the whole jiowers of the soil are put in a 

 state of requisition, and may be forced to act till 

 the very soul of vegetation is extracted. It is 

 scarcely practicable to restore fertility to land, even 

 of the best natural quality, ^vhich has been thus 

 abused; at least a considerable period must elapse 

 before it can be restored to its original lerlility; 

 but thin moorish soils, after being exhausted by 

 lime, are not to be restored. To lime them a 

 second time, is not only a useless expenditure of 

 labor and money, but also productive of serious 

 mischief Soils ofthis description, after a second lim- 

 ing, are apt to singe and burn the grain that is 

 sown upon them, and even when duiiijed, not to 

 make such a return as would have been rendered 

 under different circimistances. 



It is a difficult matter to sa}' at what period the 

 use of lime was first introduced into Britain; but 

 as it was well known to the Romans, there is good 

 reason to believe, that by this ingenious people, 

 the use of it was first brought into practice in this 

 island. Be that as it may, this mineral after un- 

 dergoing the process of calcination, has long been 

 applied by British husbandmen as a stimulus to 

 ihe soil, and, in consequence of such an application, 

 luxuriant crops have been produced, even upon 

 soils apparently of inferior quality, and which 

 would have 3'ieided crops of triflng value, had this 

 auxiliary been withheld. In fact, the majority of 

 soils cannot be cultivated with advantage till they 

 are dressed with lime ; and whetherthis beneficial 

 effect shall be considered as an alterative, or as a 

 slimidant, or as a manure, it will be Ruind to be 

 the basis of good husbandry, and of more use 

 than all other manures put together. Wherever 

 lime has been properly applied, it has constanly 

 been foinid to prove as much superior to dung, as 

 dung is to the rakmgs of roads, or the produce of a 

 peat mire. 



From a pretty long experience, and considera- 

 ble attention to the operation of lime, we are in- 

 clined to think that it acts both as an alterative 

 and a stimulant, operating fn the one ca>e as a 

 medicine, that changes tlie nature of the soil, and 

 in the other, as rousing, or bringing into action, 

 the vegetable powers contained in the soil, which 

 without such an application, would have remained 

 dormant and inactive. These opinions, we know 

 are different from what have been maintained by 

 several ingenious men on the subject; but they 

 are supported by the result of numerous trials, un- 

 dertaken to ascertain how, and in what manner, 

 lime operated upon the soil, and whether it could 

 be used in a hot or ej^l'/c state vvith the most ad- 

 vantage. On these points, theoretical writers are 

 apt to fall into mistakes; and therefore every the- 

 ory not formed Ir-om fiicts, must be viewed as a 

 romance which may amuse, but cannot instruct 

 agriculturists. 



The writer of this article, for a period of f'tirty 

 years, has been in the regular habit of appiviuij 

 considerable quantities of lime ; indeed few of his 

 profession have used more of this useful article. 

 In Ihe majority of cases, the application has been 

 highly beneficial to his interest, changing in a 

 manner the very nature of the soil, and causing il 

 to produce the most abundant crops; whereas in 

 others^ the articlo has been altogether useless, and 



in some instances the application has been followed 

 by mischief instead ol" benefit. As most of these 

 trials were executed upon a large ycalc, and upon 

 soils of almost every different (juality, more ben- 

 efit may be gathered from a succinct account of 

 them than from a long chain of argument. The 

 trials are fairly staled, and the results may perhaps 

 throw some light upon this ahslruse subject 



It is proper to premise, thai a good deal of un- 

 certainty prevails with agriculturists, respecting 

 the application of this article ; and that-much dis- 

 pute lias taken place among those who have ap- 

 plied if only to one kind of soil, or who have not 

 used it under different circumstances. Some have 

 contended, that lime ought t5 be applied only 

 when it is in a hot powdered state ; and that when 

 it becomes effete, the effects are comparatively tri- 

 fling and unavailing. Others maintain, that grass 

 land is the best bed for the reception of lime, 'while 

 many of our most enlightened farmers strenuously 

 affirm, that it is most judiciously used when the 

 land gets a complete, summer-lidlow. It would 

 not be difficult to prove, that each class of dispu- 

 tants, in the view they take of the subject are 

 equally in the right; and that ihey only condemn the 

 system of others, because their own has turned 

 out to be successful. Our opinion is, that, in 

 every case where the land is constitutionally dis- 

 posed to receive benefit liom a calcareous dress- 

 sinir, ihat is, when it is reli-eshed by grass, or en- 

 riched by dung, it is of little importace, in respect 

 of operation, whether lime is apfilied hot or cff'cte; 

 upon grass land, or upon fallow ; and that conve- 

 nience ought chiefly to be studied, when the most 

 proper time for api)lying the article is to be ascer- 

 tained. In point of economy, there can be no doubt, 

 but that lime is most economically used, when laid 

 upon land hot from the kiln; this mode also lessens 

 the expense of labor considerably; consequently the 

 practice of using it wl)en effete is more exjiensive. 

 It is obvious, however, lliat a choice of season is 

 not always in the iiumer's power; and that im- 

 posing necessity often obliges him to lay on lime 

 when completely eff'ete. Repeated trials, how- 

 ever, have convinced us, that its operations are 

 equally beneficial in the one state as in the other; 

 though the expense in the last case, as already 

 said, is greater than in the former. With regard to 

 the other branch of dispute, whether land in grass, 

 or land in fallow, is the most proper bed for the re- 

 ception of lime, we are ofopinion, that the diflt?rence 

 is immaterial. If grass land is clean, and if lime 

 can be got forward at the time, the application 

 will be as efficacious upon it, as upon the richest 

 and best wrought summer-fallow. 



That these things are not matter ofopinion, we 

 mean to show, by detailing the results of the trials 

 made to ascertain the fiicts. To render these de- 

 tails more perfect, we shall mention the nature of 

 the surface and subsoil upon which the several 

 irials were made, and explain the state of the 

 ground at the time; and, when necessary, the 

 management practised for a series of years after- 

 wards. 



Field. No. I. was soil chiefly composed of thin 

 clay, some of it approaching to a moorish quality, 

 i. e. mixed with peat earth;" the whole incumbent 

 upon a subsoil rclcniive of moisture. 



This field had been in grass for several years, 

 but yielded very poor returns. It was fallowed 

 without taking any corn croji; and the lime which 



