LIME. 



excess where humic acid is abundant. But if 

 the soil contain much humin, and other inso- 

 luble organic matter, its action in a caustic 

 state would be beneficial like that of lime. We 

 have, therefore, in Delaware abundant means 

 of rendering magnesian lime useful, by em- 

 playing it in conjunction with peaty matter, the 

 black soil of marshes, creeks, &c." (Booth's 

 Geology of Delaware.) 



All the grain crops, as well as those of grass, 

 are greatly benefited by judicious applications 

 of lime in some of its various forms. Oats 

 take up a larger proportion than almost any 

 other grain, and hence are observed to be 

 specially benefited by lime. Rye and Indian 

 corn are also greatly benefited by lime, and 

 with regard to wheat, the following strong tes- 

 timony is from Dr. Jackson, the able American 

 chemist and geologist. "I find," he says, " by 

 chemical examination of several soils, that a 

 very minute quantity of carbonate of lime, viz. 

 from one to two per cent., is amply sufficient 

 to render them capable of bearing heavy crops 

 of good wheat. I am also satisfied that a soil 

 is incapable of producing wheat of good qua- 

 lity if it does not contain carbonate of lime, 

 for this substance is an essential ingredient of 

 this grain." 



It has been computed that every person who 

 consumes 1 Ib. of wheat bread daily, will, in the 

 course of one year, take into his system 3 Ibs. 

 6 oz. 3 drs. and 44 grs. of phosphate of lime. 

 "This circumstance is supposed to explain the 

 reason why this kind of bread is so superior to 

 that made of other grain, as phosphate of lime 

 forms aprincipal element of human bodies. It is 

 found in milk, where nature seems to indicate 

 that it is contained for the nourishment of the 

 young animal, from the remarkable fact that, 

 when they are able to take other food, the milk 

 loses its proportion of this substance. Although 

 phosphate of lime is contained in considerable 

 quantities in the adult secretions,it is not known 

 in those of the young, being all taken up for the 

 purposes of nutriment. The shells of eggs are 

 formed of this substance, and Dr. Paris has as- 

 certained the singular fact that, if the legs of a 

 hen be broken, she will lay her eggs without 

 shells until these are repaired, for which the lime 

 is required. Hens will also lay their eggs with- 

 out shells if there is a deficiency of lime in the 

 yard in which they roam. It is a remarkable 

 circumstance, that although the grain contains 

 the phosphate, the straw contains the carbonate 

 of lime. Carbon is, next to water, the principal 

 support of vegetation." (Cultivator.) 



Lime-Kilns and Burning. A lime-kiln is a 

 furnace or rough structure erected for the pur- 

 pose of converting limestone into the lime of 

 commerce, by keeping it for some time in a 

 white heat. 



The forms of lime-kilns vary; but the best 

 is that of the frustrum of a cone, which per- 

 mits the ignited mass in the upper part to settle 

 down freely as the lower portion is drawn out. 

 In some places the kilns are sunk in the earth, 

 in the form of inverted cones, and lined with 

 brick. It is calculated that such kilns will 

 burn 150 bushels of lime in 24 hours. When 

 chalk is used, and it is dry, 5 bushels may be 

 burnt with one bushel of coals ; but the damp- 

 722 



LIME. 



ness of the chalk lessens considerably the 

 power of the fuel. Peat is sometimes used in- 

 stead of coals, and some burners prefer it to 

 coal. Whatever the fuel may be, that is the 

 best which prevents the lime from running to- 

 gether in masses. The best test of the lime 

 being sufficiently calcined is its slaking, and 

 falling into complete powder when water is 

 poured on it. 



Some excellent practical remarks upon lime 

 burning, by Sir G. C. Stewart Monteath, were 

 published some time since. He observes: 

 " Having been engaged in burning lime for the 

 supply of an extensive district of country for 

 agricultural improvements, and being distant 

 from coal 16 miles, it was desirable to find out 

 the best constructed kiln for burning lime with 

 the smallest quantity of coal, and having been 

 aware, from experiment, that the kilns gene- 

 rally employed in Great Britain for burning 

 lime are of a construction too narrow at bot- 

 tom and too wide at top, many kilns of this 

 construction being not more than 3 or 4 feet 

 wide at bottom, and 18 feet wide at the height 

 of 21 feet, were found to waste the fuel during 

 the process of calcining the lime, or, in other 

 words, did not produce more than two measures 

 of burnt lime shells for one measure of coal ; 

 but it is to be understood that, in whatever con- 

 struction of kiln lime is burnt, the fuel required 

 to burn limestone must vary according to the 

 softness, or hardness, or density of the stone, 

 and the quality or strength of the coal used. 

 The same measure of coal in Scotland called 

 chews, when employed, will burn a greater 

 quantity of lime in a given time than the same 

 quantity or weight of small coal, the chews or 

 small pieces of coal admitting the air to circu- 

 late more freely through the kiln. Though this 

 fact should be well known to lime burners, yet 

 they frequently employ small coal in burning 

 lime, from its being procured at a less price, 

 though really at a greater expense, as it re- 

 quires a much larger quantity to produce the 

 same effect, and a longer time to admit of equal 

 quantities of lime being drawn out of the same 

 kiln in a given time. 



" For a sale of lime for agricultural purposes 

 in a limited district, I have found kilns of small 

 dimensions to be most profitable ; the construc- 

 tion of a kiln I have employed for many years 

 was of an oval shape, 5 feet wide at bottom, 

 widening gradually to 6 feet at the height of 18 

 feet, and continuing at that width to 28 feet 

 high from the bottom. A kiln of this construc- 

 tion has been found to burn lime in much less 

 time, and with a smaller proportion of fuel, 

 than kilns of larger dimensions narrow at bot- 

 tom and wide at top, as heat is well known to 

 ascend more rapidly in a perpendicular than 

 in a sloping direction, from which arises the 

 superiority of a narrow kiln, with sides nearly 

 perpendicular, compared with one with sides 

 that slope rapidly. 



"These narrow kilns will admit of being 

 drawn out of them every day, if fully employed, 

 more than two-thirds, or nearly three-fourths, 

 of what they contain, of well-burnt lime ; and 

 afford fully three of lime shells for one measure 

 of coal, when large circular kilns will not give 

 out more than one-half of their contents every 



