ART- I. 2. 4. 3. NUTRIENTIA. J5 



has compofed a part of a vegetable or animal may again after 

 its chemical folution become a part of another vegetable or an- 

 imal, fuch is the general tranfmigration of matter. And thirdly, 

 becaufe the great ufe of lime in agriculture on almoft all kinds 

 of foil and fituation cannot be fatisfalorily explained from its 

 chemical properties alone. Though thefe may alfo in certain 

 foils and fituations have confiderable effect. 



The chemical ufes of lime in agriculture may be, i. from its 

 deftroying in a fhort time the cohefion of dead vegetable fibres, 

 and thus reducing them to earth, which otherwife is effected by 

 a flow procefs either by the confumption of infects or by a 

 gradual putrefaction. Thus I am informed that a mixture of 

 lime with oak bark, after the tanner has extracted from it what- 

 ever is foluble in water, will int'o or three months reduce it 

 to a fine black earth, which, if only laid in heaps, it would re- 

 quire as many years to effect by its own fponraneous fermenta- 

 tion or putrefaction. This effect of lime muft be particularly ad- 

 vantageous to newly enclofed commons when firfl broken up. 



Secondly, lime for many months continues to attract moifture. 

 from the air or earth, which it deprives I fuppofe of carbonic 

 acid, and then fuffers it to exhale again, as is feen on the plaf* 

 tered walls of new houfes. On this account it muft be advan- 

 tageous when mixed with dry or fandy foils, as it attracts moif- 

 ture from the air above or the earth beneath, and this moifture 

 is then abforbed by the lymphatics of the roots of vegetables. 

 Thirdly, by mixing lime with clays it is believed to make them 

 lefs cohefive, and thus to admit of their being more eafily pen- 

 etrated by vegetable fibres. A mixture of lime with clays de- 

 itroys their fuperabundancy of acid, if fuch exifts, and by unit- 

 ing with it converts it into gypfum or alabafter. And laftly, 

 frefh lime deftroys worms, fnails, and other infects, with which 

 it happens to come in contact. 



Yet do not all thefe chemical properties feem to account for 

 the great ufes of lime in almoft all foils and fituations, as it con- 

 tributes fo much to the melioration of the crops, as well as to 

 their increafe and quantity. Wheat from land well limed is 

 believed by farmers, millers, and bakers, to be, as they fuppofe, 

 thinner fkinned ; that is, it turns out more and better flour ; 

 which I fuppofe is owing to its containing more ftarch and 

 lefs mucilage. In refpect to grafs- ground I am informed, that 

 if a fpadeful of lime be thrown on a tufibck, which horfes or 

 cattle have refufed to touch for years, they will for many fuc- 

 ceeding feafonseat it quite clofe to the ground. 



One property of lime is not perhaps yet well underftood, I 

 mean its producing fo much heat, when it is mixed with water ; 



VOL. I. O o o v/hich 



