164 Does Lime ever act as Poison to Vegetables? [March, 



IS IT PROBABLE THAT LIME EVER ACTS AS A 

 POISON TO VEGETABLES? 



The opinion has been expressed by one of our most distinguish- 

 ed pomologists, that lime sometimes acts as a poison. We refer 

 to the opinion of David Thomas, on the action of a supposed cal- 

 careous soil upon the Kalmia latifolia, and which was communi- 

 cated to the public by J. J. Thomas, in one of the early numbers 

 the Horticulturist. The opinion was based partly upon observa- 

 tion and partly upon experiment. This beautiful shrub was ob- 

 served in its highest excellence on the low range of mountains 

 traversing the northern skirts of Pennsylvania. This soil, from 

 its position, audits distance from any known deposit of limestone, 

 was supposed to be destitute of lime. This led to the experiment 

 of selecting a quantity of earth from the wooded ravines, which 

 are underlaid by the shales of the Hamilton group, and which 

 was supposed also to be equally destitute of lime with the soil of 

 the Pennsylvania hills, which produces the plant in its highest 

 state of perfection. 



Now, it is not for the purpose of finding fault with opinions, 

 but for the purpose of getting at their probable truth, that we call 

 up this subject once more; for it has already been referred to in 

 this journal. 



The question, as it seems to us, can be settled by analyses of the 

 soil and of the plant itself. Notwithstanding that David Thomas's 

 experiment succeeded perfectly, by cultivating the Kalmia in his 

 artificial soil, which was supposed to be destitute of lime; yet 

 if that is proved by analysis to contain lime and especially if the 

 Kalmia itself is found to contain a large proportion of lime, then 

 the inference will be just that lime is not a poison to it; and that 

 it is true that we shall not fail in cukivating this beautiful and 

 ornamental shrub, in consequence of our soil containing lime. 



Now, in regard to the fact that this artificial soil contained 

 lime, we have shown before, by a thorough analysis. This we 

 need not repeat here. Only we will say, that it contained a full 

 average amount of lime which is found in the soils of Cayuga 

 county. 



Then again, we have analized the ash of the bark of the plant, 

 and found it to contain the following earths and alkalies:— 



Silex, 16.88 



Phosphate of iron, magnesia and lime, 22.22 

 Carbonate of lime, - - - 44.00 



Magnesia, 13.55 



Potash, 2.50 



99.27 



