EXPERIMENTS. 217 



mosphere by spreading them upon the soil they will fall to an 

 earthy state in a few years, and as their solution will take place 

 slowly, they will furnish lime for a long time. In using them, 

 however, it ought to be borne in mind, that if sufficient lime exists 

 'in the soil, no immediate effect will be observed from their use, 

 especially from the outer portions of the bed where the shells have 

 lost a large portion of their animal matter. 



EXPERIMENTS. 



Experiments in farming are generally made and conducted in a 

 very blind way ; so much so that they are not only worthless, but 

 requently injurious. Among our farmers in this country, and per- 

 haps more or less every where, experiments are instituted from 

 hearsay; for instance, it is reported that farmer B. has been very 

 successful in the use of lime. But the reporter of these successful 

 rxperiraents, gives merely his results in connection with its use, 

 ind it appears surely that lime is a wonderful substance ; and it no 

 where appears but that lime may be used as well upon one piece 

 ^f ground as another, and hence hundreds perhaps, are led to its 

 .ise on the first opportunity. Out of this hundred, ten probably 

 - ';vill receive benefit from it, while the ninety wnll perceive no 

 lilference in the crops upon which it is employed. What is the 

 iause of this discrepancy in results 1 Probably no question is of 

 preater importance to the farmer than the settlement of this, and 

 pther questions of a similar character j and to this point we ask the 

 ittention of the reader for one moment. 



1. If lime already exists in the soil, no perceptible effect will 

 )e observed when an additional quantity is added. 



2. In order that perceptible effects may follow from the appli- 

 ;ation of lime, it is necessary that organic matter should either 

 xist in the soil, or else it should be applied with it. These two 

 lositions we believe may be considered as established. Now the 

 armer who has been successful in his experiments with lime, attri- 

 utes all the good effects which follow its application to this sub- 

 lance alone ; he does not give the previous composition of the land 



VOL. I. — NO. II. C 



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