No. 8. 



Lime. 



249 



The oxygen, introduced by respiration 

 into the lungs, is destined for the destruc- 

 tion of carbonaceous matter; but there is a 

 provision made for taking it into the stomach 

 with the food, and this is done by the saliva. 

 The saliva is always full of bubbles, which 

 are air bubbles, and carry the oxygen of the 

 atmosphere into the stomach with the food. 

 The object of rumination in animals, is the 

 more perfect mixing of the food with the 

 oxygen of the air. This is why chaff should 

 not be cut so short for ruminating, as for 

 non-ruminating animals, as the shorter the 

 chaff is, the less it is ruminated, and the 

 less oxygen it gets. — Mark Lane Express. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Iiiine> 



Mr. Editor, — I was much pleased with 

 the greater part of the article in the Janu- 

 ary No. of your paper, by Willis Gay lord, 

 " On the Preparation and Use of Manures;" 

 but when he says, a vast deal of needless 

 controversy has been carried on, respecting 

 the value of lime as a manure, or the quan- 

 tity which should be used per acre, I must 

 respectfully differ from him. He says, "by 

 some it has been extolled, as the very high- 

 est on the list of effective manures, while 

 others have described it as of no use what- 

 ever, and both have appealed to experiments, 

 as establishing their positions:" and then 

 adds : " a knowledge of the nature of the 

 action of lime, would have prevented such 

 seeming contradictions :" I grant this would 

 be the case if we had such knowledge, but 

 is Mr. Gaylord sure we have it? 



Whenever he can point to two agricultu- 

 ral chemists, that agree in opinion on the 

 action of lime or plaster, it will be time 

 enough to quit experiment for theory. Let 

 it not be thought I am foolish enough to sup- 

 pose, that no benefit to agriculture may be 

 derived from chemistry. I believe the day 

 may come, when it will render farming a 

 certain science. At present, agricultural 

 chemistry is but in its infancy, and when it 

 attempts to direct practical farmers, it is 

 but the blind leading those who see dimly. 

 We must at present rely on experiments, 

 having due regard to the soils, climate and 

 country, in which they are made. Mr. 

 Gaylord's theory will not do in this country, 

 for if we put any faith in human testimony, 

 lime will not benefit some of our best land, 

 full of vegetable matter, in Chester county, 

 while it is of the greatest benefit to the 

 worn-out lands of Delaware and Maryland. 

 Now how does this agree with the following 

 from Mr. Gaylord ? " As long as there is a 



store of organic matter in the soil, lime, if 

 not in excess, is a valuable manure, but 

 when this is exhausted, the application of 

 lime only increases the sterility; on soils 

 already poor, a small portion speedily ex- 

 hausts the remaining powers of the soil." 

 When Mr. Gaylord treats of plaster, he is 

 much more reasonable ; for after giving the 

 theory of Davy, Liebig, Chaptal, and Dana, 

 he refers to the experiments of farmers to 

 prove that Davy and Liebig know nothing 

 about it; Liebig's theory, upon which so 

 much stress was laid in some former articles 

 in the Cabinet, is shown to be the most ab- 

 surd of any of them. I agree with Mr. Gay- 

 lord, when he says, "Mr. Dana appears to 

 approach as near a solution as any of them," 

 which is not saying much for him. Every 

 one will say, on reading the article, that but 

 little is known on the subject. When Mr. 

 Gaylord quits theory and gives us facts, they 

 are valuable, and will be appreciated by us 

 all. He says, " plaster does not act as use- 

 fully in the vicinity of the sea as in the inte- 

 rior:" this is no doubt true, and I think he 

 might, when treating on lime, have said just 

 the reverse, that lime does not act as use- 

 fully in the interior, as in the vicinity of the 

 sea. From all I can learn on this subject, I 

 am inclined to believe, that where plaster 

 acts, lime does not, and vice versa. On 

 some of my land on which I can see no im- 

 provement from the use of lime, plaster pro- 

 duces the most astonishing effects. A friend 

 tells me, that in Salem county, N. J., they 

 do not find plaster of any use, but think they 

 receive great benefit from lime. I would be 

 much obliged to Mr. Cazier, or any of the 

 gentlemen whose experiments he gives, if 

 they would let us know through the Cabinet, 

 the result of any experiments they may have 

 tried with plaster; in this way farmers may 

 greatly benefit each other, and if we estab- 

 Fish this as fact, we need not fear but that 

 chemists will soon write out a beautiful 

 theory, explaining the why and wherefore. 

 Mr. Gaylord is, I think, mistaken, when he 

 says, plaster is valuable as a dressing for 

 wheat; — it has been repeatedly tried in this 

 vicinity, without any good effect, but if clo- 

 ver seed had been previously sown, the ap- 

 plication of plaster was injurious to the 

 wheat, causing too much growth in the 

 clover before the wheat had matured. If 

 chemists, as is proved by the foregoing, 

 know nothing about the action of plaster, 

 excepting what they get from practical 

 farmers, is it likely they know more of the 

 nature of the action of lime? There is one 

 well known eflect of lime in this part ot 

 Chester county, which I do not think their 

 present theories will account for: that is. 



