NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



237 



Blow, and we have excluded it from our list, as un- 

 worthy of cultivation. Others have given the same 

 account of this potato. 



Gttm from Peach- Trees. — Sometimes gum runs 

 from peach-trees by reason of insects, as the worm, 

 for instance, eating around the tree, between the 

 bark and wood, at or just below the surface ; but 

 gum often runs from peach-trees from causes not dis- 

 tinctly known. Trees that seem perfectly healthy in 

 early spring, and are very smooth, and apparently in 

 a vigorous condition, are soon seriously affected by 

 the gum running from various parts of the body and 

 branches, which indicates a decline or speedy death 

 of the tree. 



In this climate the peach is far from its native and 

 peculiar home, if we regard its origin ; and it is seri- 

 ously alfected by our cold or changeable winters, and 

 by our cool springs, constantly varying in temper- 

 ature, or remaining constantly cool and uncongenial 

 to plants originally from a much warmer clime. The 

 best remedy for this evil is the same as we should 

 recommend for the potato disease which has been 

 named : Examine carefully, and cultivate the most 

 hardy varieties of fruits and vegetables. Information 

 on these subjects from our correspondents will be ac- 

 ceptable. — Ed. 



For the New Etigland Farmer. 

 VALUE OF LIME IN AGRICULTURE. 



Friend Cole : As yet we hardly know whether to 

 count lime on our list of manures or not. We do 

 not know how, and when, and where it will be ben- 

 eficial and profitable for us to apply it. I notice that 

 A. J. Downing, in his Fruit and Fruit-Trccs of Amer- 

 ica, has thrown some light on the use of it in the 

 orchard ; and, as every farmer may be supposed to 

 have an orchard, it may not, perhaps, be amiss for 

 me to note here a few of his remarks. 



Speaking of fruits, (p. 558,) he says, " AVc are not 

 without remedy for varieties that have partially de- 

 cayed in a certain district. If the trees have once 

 been productive of excellent fruit, and arc still in a 

 sound condition, though enfeebled, a thorough re- 

 newal of their powers will again restore them to 

 health. To effect this, a heavy top-dressing of lime, 

 and, if the soil is light, of loamy claj-, should be re- 

 peated a couple of seasons. The bark of the trunk 

 and large branches should bo well scraped," &c., &c. 

 On p. 328, he says, "The use of lime in strong soils 

 as a fertilizer, instead of manure, is "worthy of ex- 

 tensive trial, because lime has a tendency to throw 

 all fruit-trees into the production of short-jointed 

 fruit-spurs, instead of the luxuriant woody shoots 

 induced by animal manure." This is a hint worth 

 remembering. Again, on p. 35, alluding to a work 

 by Dr. Schultz, of Berlin, he writes, " The author, 

 who has devoted considerable time to the subject, 

 states that common salt and chloride of lime contrib- 

 ute greatly to the flowering of most plants, to which, 

 however, they can only be applied with safety in 

 small quantities. 'Salts of lime,' he continues, 'ap- 

 pear to produce so nearly the same effect as those of 

 potash aTid soda, that it is only necessary to place 

 lime within their reach, if there is no deficiency 

 of manure in the shape of general food. lyimc will, 

 in the main, promote in an astonishing degree the 

 fruiting and flowering of most plants, because calca- 

 reous salts promote evaporation and the concentration 



of the sap.' " Of this Downing remarks, " Althouo-h 

 we cannot coincide with many of Dr. .Schultz's views 

 as expressed in this work, yet the remarks just quot- 

 ed agree so entirely with facts that have come under 

 our own observation, that we gladly place them be- 

 fore the cultivator of fruit-trees." liut I will not 

 quote more now from a work which every one may 

 read for himself. 



According to Dr. Emmons's analysis of the ash, 

 the pear contains, 



Pliospliate of Lime. Lime. 



27.22 IS.Qi 



6.50 30.3G 



Potash. 



SapAvood, 22.25 



Bark, 6.20 



The apple contains, 



Sapwood 16.19 



Bark, 4.93 



17.50 18.G3 



2.42 51.57 



If this be correct, it will readily be seen that a 

 strong growing tree will exhaust the soil within its 

 reach of a large quantity of lime in a few years. 

 The soil may contain at first a sufficient quantity; 

 but a tree that has grown fifteen or twenty j-ears in 

 one place will usually be found feeding upon short 

 allowance, unless lime, as well as other food, has 

 been supplied. Small crops and poor fruit common- 

 ly testify to some neglect on the part of the culti- 

 vator. 



According to Professor Johnston, the different 

 crops of grain, turnips, i&c., carry away lime nearly 

 as follows : — 



25 bushels wheat, 9 lbs. 

 38 " barley, 15 " 

 50 " oats, 9 " 



25 tons turnips, 140 lbs. 



9 " potatoes, 270 " 



2 " red clover, 126 " 



No doubt that we often apply, at great expense, 

 large quantities of animal manure to exhausted soUs, 

 when, at the same time, a small part of it, Avith a 

 proper addition of lime, would produce a far more 

 beneficial effect. But there are unexhausted soils, 

 even in Massachusetts, which lime would greatly 

 benefit ; some heavy, sour, cold and wet, and swampy 

 soils, to which it would be the best manure that 

 could be applied to render them productive. The 

 particular action of lime on soils has been well stated 

 in the first volume of the N. E. Fanner, p. 100. But 

 what is the best kind of lime to be used ? Although 

 all kinds may be beneficial, when properly applied, 

 still all kinds may not be equally so. We know that, 

 in some cases, lime thoroughly air-slaked is better 

 than the caustic, and that old lime plastering is bet- 

 ter than cither. This, of course, depends upon cir- 

 cumstances. On page 275 of the Farmer, vol. i., I 

 see it quoted from an English paper that " the best 

 lime, for agricultural purposes, is that which is light- 

 est, whitest, and softest to the touch ; the jmrest and 

 strongest lime is always the lightest." 



I am inclined to think that oyster-shell lime is by 

 far the best for agricultural purposes generally. I 

 have never seen an analysis of it, but I have heard 

 it stated from good authority that it contains a much 

 greater percentage of pure lime than the conunon 

 stone lime ; ajlso, that it is very white and very light. 

 It is the opinion of most fruit-growers, I believe, that 

 oyster-shell lime is much the best. If it contains 

 more pure lime, why may it not bo better adapted 

 than any other to render cold and swampy lands pro- 

 ductive ? Oyster-shells in abivndancc may be pro- 

 cured in our cities, where it is usually a bill of 

 expense to get them out of the way. If they could 

 be collected and burned cheaply enough to make 

 them available as manure, (as no doubt they could 

 be, if there was a sufficient demand,) farmers and 

 fruit-growers might be sui)plied with an article wliich 

 they very mucli need, and the place of wliich it is not 

 easy to supply with any other manures. An analy- 

 sis of shell lime would be useful as a starting-point 

 in the investigation of its agricultural value. It is 

 said to contain other ingredients in addition to the 

 lime, which are useful to vegetation. Of the amount 



