180 



Lime. — Farming. 



Vol. V. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Lime. 



WHETHER BENEFICIAL OR INJDRIODS TO CORN. 



Mr. Editor, — Many of the farmers of this 

 neighbourhood, and those especially who lime 

 their land most abundantly, have, in a great 

 measure, abandoned the cultivation of corn, 

 from an impression that the presence of lime 

 in the soil, in any considerable quantity, is 

 injurious to its growth. I have heard it re- 

 marked, by those who entertain this opinion, 

 that when corn, which is planted on such soil, 

 first makes its appearance above ground, its 

 blade will exhibit a dark green colour, and 

 that, as it advances in growth, the leaves be- 

 come striped, and in some instances acquire 

 a pale unnatural complexion, nearly white. 

 I have noticed a similar appearance of the 

 corn this season, in some small portions of a 

 field of my own, which, notwithstanding, 

 grew and matured, and produced sound corn, 

 but much inferior in quantity and quality to 

 that, on the same field, not similarly affected. 

 This field received a dressing of lime five 

 years since, at the rate of sixty bushels to 

 the acre, previously to which it had been neg- 

 lected for a number of years, and was so 

 much exhausted, that its produce would not 

 repay the labour and expense of cultivation. 

 For several years before it was limed it had 

 been used as a pasture field, and lay a sort of 

 neglected common, on which little other than 

 blue grass could be seen. This field con- 

 tained fourteen acres, and yielded, of corn, 

 the first year after it had been limed, one 

 hundred and seventy-five bushels of ears, and 

 very inferior withal. The succeeding crop 

 was wheat, which had been sown on open fal- 

 low, after a dressing of barn-yard manure, at 

 the rate of eight four-horse cart-loads to the 

 acre, and yielded four hundred and eighty 

 bushels. Then followed a crop of rye, after 

 which it lay one year in grass, which was 

 used as pasture. Last fall this field was 

 ploughed, preparatory to a crop of corn, and, 

 after being twice harrowed in the spring, was 

 planted in corn, without any additional ma- 

 nure, and the crop, which is just harvested, 

 amounts to thirteen hundred and fifty bushels 

 in the ear, and may be estimated at six hun- 

 dred and fifty bushels of shelled corn. This 

 field is slightly undulating, with a gentle ex- 

 posure to the south, and has what we farmers 

 denominate a limestone soil with a clay bot- 

 tom ; and had the corn not suffered an injury 

 in any part, the yield would probably have 

 exceeded seven hundred bushels, or fifty bush- 

 els to the acre. Under the circumstances, I 

 am unable to decide whether the improve- 

 ment in my last crop of corn, and its increase 

 over the former, is to be ascribed to the vir- 

 tue of the lime, which had been laid on pre- 

 viously to the growth of the former crop, or to 



that of the barn-yard manure, which had been 

 subsequently applied ; or whether the partial 

 injury of my crop the present season is to be 

 attributed to the lime, or to some other cause. 



These remarks are made with a view to 

 attract the attention of farmers to this sub- 

 ject, and elicit reports of such experiments 

 as have been made in this particular, tending 

 either to confirm or confute the opinion, that 

 lime is injurious to the growth of corn, as it 

 is of vast importance to farmers that they 

 should be undeceived in this matter, and con- 

 vinced of their mistake, if their prejudices 

 against lime in this respect are unfounded. 



I have noticed that a very excellent crop 

 of corn, and perhaps the best that has been 

 raised in this neighbourhood the present sea- 

 son, was planted on a clover-lay, which was 

 ploughed in the spring, and limed at the rate 

 of fihy bushels to the acre. The lime was 

 harrowed in immediately before planting. — 

 The corn has not been carefully measured, 

 but in my estimation falls little short of 70 

 bushels to the acre throughout. P. W. 

 Northampton County, Nov. 28, 1840. 



Farming. 



If one-half the zeal, energy and expense 

 which have been exhibited for electioneering 

 purposes were bestowed upon agriculture — if 

 the people were half as anxious to improve 

 and beautify their fields, and half as angry 

 with their thistles, thorns and bad fences, as 

 they are with their political opponents, we 

 should have more productive fields, less com- 

 plaint of poverty, more ability for charity, and 

 abundantly more good feeling. From Maine 

 to Georgia the son ploughs as his father did 

 before him, and the great mass of farmers are 

 as stationary in theory as they are in prac- 

 tice ; nine in ten believe at this moment that 

 book-farming is the mere, useless, visionary 

 dreaming of men that know nothing of prac- 

 tical agriculture. The real benefactor of 

 mankind is he who causes two blades of 

 wheat to grow where one grew before ; his 

 fields are his morn and evening theme, and 

 to fertilize and improve his farm is his prime 

 temporal object. All national aggrandize- 

 ment, power and wealth may be traced to ag- 

 riculture as its ultimate source — commerce 

 and manufactures are only subordinate results 

 of this main-spring. 



We consider agriculture as every way sub- 

 sidiary, not only to abundance, industry, com- 

 fort and health, but to good morals and ulti- 

 mately even to religion. We regard the 

 farmer, stripped to his employment and culti- 

 vating his lands, as belonging to the first or- 

 der of noblemen ; we wish him bountiful har- 

 vests, and invoke upon him the blessing of 

 God in all his undertakings ; may peace be 

 within his walls. — Selected. 



