KO. 23. 



THE farmers' cabinet. 



ses 



Stiuitilation of Soils. 



BY THE HON. JOHN WELLES, OF BOSTON. 



From a frequent perusal of the benefits 

 derived from liiue in its n])i)licution to huil in 

 Europe, 1 have been inducfd fur more than u 

 score of years, successively, to make use ol 

 it tor agricultural purposes to the e.xteni of 

 more than one hundred casks annually. 



One of my lirst experiments arose from a 

 desire to i^Mve a top-dressing to a piece of 

 laud, which it was oliiervvise inconvenient to 

 do. The soil was a heavy black loam. Hav- 

 ing a quantity of black earth from a trench, 

 (or tup stratum,) 1 procured aquantity of lime. 

 A bottom of lour or live buck loads of earth 

 was iirst placed ; then a couple of casks of 

 lime were spread tiiereon; llien earth and 

 lime again, till my materials were used, or 

 tiie quantity needed was had at the rate of 

 eight or ten casks to the acre. Thus a cask 

 being supposed to produce about five bushels 

 of slacked lime, the cost of which, if the casks 

 are swelled and the lime partly slacked, is 

 eight to ten cents a bushel. This is the most 

 moderate application in Europe, and the cost 

 is about the aame. 



This mixture after lying twelve or fourteen 

 days, was shovelled over, and after some days! 

 being found tine and well mixed, was spread 

 from the cart on the ground. To my surprise 

 I found the etiect produced to be equal to 

 what is usual from common compost manure ! 

 In England, where lime is most used for 

 agricultural purposes, it is considered that in 

 its crude state, or uncalcined siate, it is most 

 beneficial, if pounded or made fine. This, 

 where limestone abounds it is well to know ; 

 but there is little of it in this neighborhood. 

 Encouraged by this experiment, 1 continued 

 to purchase and apply considerable quantities 

 of damaged and air slacked lime in my culti- 

 vation, particularly for a low, flat piece of 

 land. This being intersected with small 

 ditches, furnished the earth, I was not able 

 otherwise to procure to mix with the lime. 

 It is not well, however, in such cases, to lower 

 the surface by taking off more than will keep 

 the ditches open. When the earth is tough 

 with sward, &c., it may be made finer by be- 

 ing carted out and put in heaps on the ground, 

 and spread afterwards. Indeed this is done 

 to great advantage in the winter. The poach- 

 ing the land or making a rough surface for 

 the scythe being then well avoided. 



As this land cannot advantageously be 

 ploughed, I have in applying every third 

 year a top-dressing, as my custom is, alter- 

 nated, giving first a dressing of earth and 

 lime, and at the expiration of three years, a 

 coat of compost manure. 



This has been doHe on the principle that a 

 more judicious mi.xture would be made, and 



a better composition of soil be had. I have 

 been guided herein from general reasoning — 

 not from any proof that the lime might not 

 be repeated. 



It bcems, however, to be a prevailing opin- 

 ion, where lime lias been most in use, that it 

 opens the sod and makes it more porous, giv- 

 ing thereby a better action toother manures, 

 wiiich a judicious husbandry should in suc- 

 cession apply. In this application of lime to 

 a grass sward in a deep springy soil, I have 

 been for a long time well satisfied. It was 

 several years before I undertook the same 

 practice on a liglit soil, and I did it with less 

 expectation. But I was somewhat surprised 

 to find it equally beneficial. 



So far lime has been mentioned as a com- 

 ponent article in top-dressing for a green 

 sward. Its etfect will be shown on ploughed 



land, and in a grain crop. 



***** 



I had a piece of ground of about four 

 acres, of rather light soil, which gave pro- 

 mise of a very small crop of grass. Being 

 without the means of obtaining manure, as I 

 iiad a quantity of earth of the top stratum, 

 taken on building a wall, 1 forthwith pro- 

 cured a quantity of lime and mixed it in the 

 ' manner before mentioned. About the middle 

 I of June I had the grass mowed and the land 

 'ploughed. The lime compost was then 

 spread and harrowed in. An early sort of 

 yellow corn, which, when ripe, husked itself 

 was procured. And my neighbors, who 

 knew the process, were, in the fall of the 

 year, much surprised by the stout ears of 

 golden grain that unfolded to view ! 



I trust enough has been said to show the 

 beneficial use of lime. Whether it acts on 

 the atmosphere only ; or as a stimulant to the 

 soil, or actually contains (as is strongly main- 

 tained by some) within itself the food for 

 plants, is well worthy of discussion. 



But whether either of these causes sepa- 

 rately or they altogether conduce to the nu- 

 trition of plants, an advantageous effect of 

 I the use of lime on soil seems conclusively to 

 follow. I have endeavored, to avoid nice dis- 

 ! criminations and have stated my practice 

 plainly, not from its novelty to many of your 

 readers, but because not only a great waste 

 is made of this article, but it is believed that 

 las its average price in good condition is about 

 I ten cents, it may be used to good advantage. 

 So also it is with mortar, rubbish of walls and 

 chimneys, plaster, &c., from old buildings. — 

 ; These, (and it is somewhat relative to this 

 'discussion) I have made use of as a top-dress- 

 ing to low soil to very good effect. 



It has been observed that if lime is a fer- 

 tilizer of soil why is it that where it abounds 

 and often forms an under stratum, a greater 

 fertility does not prevail. To this it may be 



