364 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 6. 



is placed another layer of earth, equal in thick- 

 ness jto the first, then a second layer of lime; and 

 and then the heap is finished by a third layer of 

 earth. If the earth is moist, and the lime recent- 

 ly burned, 8 or 10 days will suffice to slake it com- 

 pletely. Then the heap is cut down and well 

 mixed — and this operation is repeated afterwards 

 before using the manure, which is delayed aslong 

 as possible, because the power of the efi'ecl on the 

 soil is increased with the age of the. compost— and 

 especially if it has been made with the earth con- 

 taining much vegetable mould. This method is 

 the one most used in Belgium and Flanders: it is 

 becoming almost, the exclusive, practice in Nor- 

 mandy: it is the only practice, and followed with 

 the greatest success, in La Sjjarthe. Lime in com- 

 post is never injurious to the sod. It carries with 

 it the surplus of alimentary manure which the 

 surplus of product demands for its sustenance. 

 Light soils, sandy or gravelly, are not tired by rep- 

 etitions of this compost. No country, nor author, 

 charges lime, used in this stafr?,with having been in- 

 jurious to the soil. In short, this means seems to 

 us the most sure, the most useful, and the least ex- 

 pensive mode of applying lime as manure. 



11. The reduction of burnt lime to powder by 

 means of a momentary immersion in water, in 

 handle-baskets, serves much to hasten the slaking, 

 whether the lime is to be applied immediately to 

 the soil, or in compost heSffl — some hours in this 

 manner sufficing, in [/lace of wailing two weeks. 

 However, the effect of lime, in this state, ma\ 

 well be different, as we have then the hydrate of 

 lime, and Jess of the carbonate of caustic lime. 

 If great rains follow, this process is not without 

 inconveniences, because then the. lime, which is 

 already saturated with water, is more easily put 

 in the state of mortar, which ought to be. avoided 

 more than every other injury to the manure. 



The reduction of burnt limestone to powder. 

 whether it be spontaneous, or by immersion, pro- 

 duces in the compost a bulk greater by one-half 

 or more, than that of the stone- — 10 cubic feet, pro- 

 ducing 15 — or a ton, 10 cubic feet. This in- 

 crease is not uniform with all kinds of lime; it is 

 more strong with rich [grasses,] waters, and weaker 

 with the poor [caux mmgres.]'] 



Liming as practiced i n different countries. 

 In the Department of Ain. 



12. The applications of lime in Ain date from 

 fifty years back. At the present time, the soil 

 which has been limed is still more productive 

 than the neighboring, not limed. Nevertheless, 

 Jiming is but beginning to extend, while marling, 

 which was begun fifteen years later, has already 

 covered many thousands of hectares. This is be- 

 cause marling is an operation within the means ol 

 poor cultivators, being accomplished by labor 

 alone; while, liming requires considerable advances, 

 especially in this country Where lime is dear, and 

 the dose given is heavy. 



*An incorrect expression certainly, but literally 

 translated. Tr. 



fWe are unable to give the meaning, with certain- 

 ty, of these provincial terms. They are probably 

 equivalent to our "hard and soft" water — terms which 

 are as little descriptive of what they mean, as the 

 French "eau.r grasses'' and "eaux maigres." 



The dressings vary in quantity, from 60 to 100 

 hectolitres the hectare, according to the nature of 

 the ground, and often according to the caprice of 

 the cultivators. Although these linnngs have not 

 been made with all the" care and economy that 

 was desirable, they have been very efficacious, 

 when the soil has been sufficiently drained. The 

 following tables, extracted from the registers of 

 ihree contiguous domains, belonging to M. Ar- 

 mand, three years before, and nine years during 

 the progress of liming, give us the means of ap- 

 preciating the results. The quantities of seed and 

 of crops, are calculated in double decalitres, or in 

 measures of fifths of hectolitres. 



Table of product of the domain of La Croisette. 



1822 

 1823 

 1824 

 1825 



1826 

 1827 

 1828 

 1829 

 1830 

 1831 

 1832 

 1833 



Seed. 



110 

 110 

 110 



107 

 106 

 100 



90 



82 



60 



78 



55 



61 



Product. 



600 

 764 

 744 

 406 

 576 

 504 

 634 

 538 

 307 

 350 

 478 

 529 



Seed. Product. 



Table of product of the d main of Meyzeriat. 



1822 

 1S23 

 1824 

 1825 

 1826 

 1827 

 1828 

 1829 

 1830 

 1831 

 1832 

 1833 



Tulle cf predict of the domain of La Baronne. 



