250 



Lime. 



Vol. III. 



farmer can understand all this, but few others 

 would be able to make any thing of it. 



His remarks on the proper mode of laying 

 newly ploughed land, and the advice thorough- 

 ly to roll and harrow after turning in green 

 sward, by which the whole mass of vegetable 

 matter tiiat covered the soil will be complete- 

 ly buried, and set to fermenting, are truly ex- 

 cellent, as are also his observations on the 

 kind of plough that ought to be used for this 

 purpose, namely, "one which is much longer 

 in the waist than those in common use, that 

 the furrow might be made to rise less sudden- 

 ly on the inclined plane of the mould plate, 

 and fall gently, where it should do, into the 

 bed of the preceding furrow, so as completely 

 to fill it." All this shows that the writer is 

 a ploughman, and his suggestions ought to 

 be respected accordingly. 



Are any of your readers acquainted with a 

 plough which has been patented in England, 

 and is known there as " Jefferis's v/et and dry 

 •weather Plough V I used it for some years in 

 that country, and I can truly say 1 have never 

 seen any plough which could at all be com- 

 pared with it Tor the purpose of turning the 

 soil. Its length and great weight would be 

 very serious objections with gentlemen who 

 are accustomed to plough the study ; but to a 

 Buckminster, who would not be afraid to look 

 the thing in the face, it would soon recom- 

 mend itself for its peculiarly well-adjusted 

 parts, its simplicity of construction, and above 

 all, the ease and regularity with which it 

 performs its work. The share, which is 

 put off and on by the blow of a hammer, is 

 of cast iron ; the under side is as hard as cast 

 steel, while the upper, or surface is as soft as 

 wrought iron, which surface, wearing away 

 much more quickly than the under side, leaves 

 the wing or fen with a sharpened edge, and 

 the share with a sharpened point, which ne- 

 ver require to be renewed as long as it lasts. 

 These shares are sold separately, and cost 

 but a trifle; they are also cast of difl^ercnt 

 widths, to suit different kinds of work. In this 

 plough, the length of the beam and handles are 

 60 mathematically adju.sted to the length ofthe 

 mould, plate, and waist, that when used as a 

 swmg plough, it is as easily poised as a well 

 regulated scale-beam : a small wheel is some- 

 times attached to it, to enable the ploughman 

 to give a greater pressure when skimming 

 turf land, or in extremely dry and hard soils, 

 but in all ordinary cases it is preferable as a 

 swing plough. It has been introduced into 

 the West India Islands with the most perfect 

 success. Agra 



25th February, 1839. 



Men generally put a greater value upon 

 the favors they bestow, than upon the favors 

 they receive. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Is Lime a sccpHo or an antisceptic Agent 1 



Nature never changes her principles of action. 



Your correspondent M. in the last number 

 of the Cabinet, page 229, states that X. says 

 various matters and things respecting lime; 

 now I should like M. again to read the essays 

 of X. on lime at pages 27, GO, and 152 ofthe 

 present volume of the Cabinet, and compare 

 them with his own communication, and per- 

 haps he may find that he has either misun- 

 derstood, or not correctly and fully represent- 

 ed what X. has writen on the subject referred 

 to. M. says, that, "its (that is lime) great 

 distinguishing characteristic is to promote de- 

 composition." X. says, that lime is an anti- 

 sceptic, and tends to retard decomposition. 

 On this point we are at issue, and I presume 

 that all minor differences of opinion between 

 us will resolve themselves into this one point. 

 Now, whether lime is, or is not an antiscep- 

 tic, is a matter of fact, and not a matter of 

 reasoning; the reasoning will follow the de- 

 termination of the fact, and this must be as- 

 certained either by experiments and observa- 

 tions already made, or to be made hereafter. 

 M. says, page 229, " Because lime applied 

 with the whitewash brush to our fences or 

 roofs, has a preservative antisceptic tenden- 

 cy, it does not follow, that its exhibition in 

 the soil, in different quantities, and where va- 

 rious chemical agents are at work, modifying 

 its action, should be attended with the same 

 results." Does not lime either in .=mall or 

 large quantities preserve timber of every 

 kind? Has it not been applied to boards, 

 fences, and roofs for ages with this intention, 

 and has it ever been unavailing as a preserva- 

 tive against decomposition 1 It is a common 

 saying among lime burners, that a superan- 

 nuated lime wagon (which is always satura- 

 ted with lime) never rots. 



Within the past year a patent has been 

 taken out for the preservation of rail-road 

 timber by lime, which it might seem would 

 be unavailable, if its only tendency was to 

 render its decomposition more rapid. Hence 

 we may safely conclude that so far as respects 

 timber M. is correct, and is fully .supported in 

 Slating that it " has a preservative antisceptic 

 tendency." 



It is freely conceded that if a large quan- 

 tity of quick or nnslacked lime be mixed with 

 vegetable matter, that combustion will take 

 place, and it will be reduced to a carbonace- 

 ous mass; and it is presumed that this cir- 

 cum.stnnce has given, rise to the opinion of 

 the decomposing agency of lime ; but when 

 a mfKlerate quantity of lime, or lime that has 

 been slacked and become cool, is mixed with 

 vegetable matter, so far as my observation and 

 inquiries have extended, its tendency is to 



