No. 3. 



'^ Lime Ashes" — Painting Oil-Cloths. 



81 



knowledge of the plants to be dealt with — to know them by sight, by name, and by character. 

 Having made himself botanically and practically acquainted with the species here enume- 

 rated, the intelligent farmer may gradually and readily extend his knowledge to other less 

 important plants, which he finds on his grounds; and also to the various species usually 

 found in the garden ; as well as to the several kinds of limber trees and shrubs, in the 

 woodlands. 



Such knowledge will not only be practically useful, in many ways, but will be found 

 highly interesting to inquiring minds. It will, moreover, tend to elevate the intellectual 

 character of agriculturists to that rank which is due to a noble profession, and to which 

 every American farmer should earnestly aspire. 



In conclusion, I will add, that, if the suggestions here made should find favour with any 

 of our Chester county farmers, and they should think proper to commence collections of 

 8uch plants as they find on their premises, whether of an useful or pernicious character, it 

 vi'ill give me great pleasure to assist them, to the extent of my ability, in determining the 

 names and properties of those occupants of the soil. 



Wm. Darlington. 



West-Chester, Penn., August 25, 1841. 



For the Farmers* Cabinet, 

 "Lime Ashes." 



An author in a late " Cabinet," who enti- 

 tles himself " Calx," has, from the experience 

 of " a most respectable and peculiarly correct 

 practical husbandman," essayed to prove that 

 "lime ashes," when placed upon land, has 

 not the power of rendering it more conducive 

 to vegetation. Now, if the above be the fact, 

 why have not most, if not all, of those who 

 are first in order in reference to industry and 

 enterprise, been equally successful in devel- 

 oping the same 1 I, without hesitation, reply, 

 that their experience, which should be their 

 guide in such matters, has very clearly and 

 satisfactorily expounded to them that the ar- 

 ticle alluded to is of very considerable value, 

 as an auxiliary in rendering the soil more 

 rich, and consequently more productive. 



Quite recently, I heard a confidential friend 

 of mine assert, that his brother had improved 

 his farm as much by the application of "lime 

 ashes" as any other individual ever did by the 

 application of lime ; and further, I have had 

 the greater part of my life the pleasure of 

 being located in the midst of an intelligent 

 community, and I never before heard its worth 

 contested, for it has generally been known as 

 an article of much value, even as much so as 

 the manure which is formed by putrefied 

 vegetable matter. Many who manufacture 

 lime, either for themselves or others, consider 

 the ashes produced thereby of such great 

 value, that if they possess land whereon they 

 can place it, they are very loath to vend it ; 

 for by so doing they realized a greater reve- 

 nue, than by receiving in cash the price which 

 it demands. Now here is a satisfactory and 

 convincing proof of the ground which I have 

 taken. Well may the author before spoken 

 of refer the subject of his communication to 

 the attention of " some of the scientific cor- 

 respondents of the Cabinet ;" for verily it 



would require a scientific person to assign a 

 cause, illustrating why a thing is so, which 

 in reality is not so ; but I must forbear. 



I admit there are isolated instances in which 

 few, if any, advantages arise from its applica- 

 tion, owing to various causes which it would 

 be fruitless for me to attempt scientifically to 

 explain, further than that I believe they may 

 reasonably be ascribed to the existence of a 

 principle in the soil which destroys that which 

 would otherwise occasion valuable effects. 

 "Calx" evidently attributes the failure of the 

 experiment performed by the "respectable 

 husbandman" to the entire worthlessness of 

 the "lime ashes" as a manure; but that idea 

 is rendered void when the experiment suc- 

 ceeds, which has generally been the case, as 

 I have sufficiently remarked. If the position 

 which I have maintained in allusion to this 

 matter be incorrect, I hope that some interest- 

 ed friend may put me in the right; for it is 

 agreeable to the dictates of sound logic, that 

 in physical as well as moral things, truth 

 should be the sovereign ruler. Q,. E. D. 

 Sadsbury, 9th mo. 5, 1841. 



Painting Oil-Cloths. 



96 lbs. ochre ground in boiled oil, to which 

 add 16 lbs. black paint ; this forms an indiffer- 

 ent black. One pound common yellow soap, 

 dissolved in six pints of water over fire, is 

 mixed with this paint, which is laid on the 

 canvass as thick as can conveniently be done, 

 so as to form a smooth coat. Then, two days 

 after, lay another coat of ochre and black, 

 with but little soap, and after another day or 

 two, finish with black, three days being al- 

 lowed it to dry and harden, when it may be 

 folded without sticking. This mode of paint- 

 ing saves five dollars on every hundred yards 

 of canvass painted. The paint may be reco- 

 vered from old painted cloths by burning 

 them, sprinkling the ashes with a little wa- 

 ter, and grinding them in oil. 



