No. 10. 



Lime. 



315 



roots and diseased parts of the tree. A short 

 time afterwards, either the same day or a day 

 or two after, I took thick white-wasli and 

 coated those parts well with it, and then left 

 it exposed to the action of the weather nntil 

 the winter set in, when 1 filled in liie earth 

 about the roots. The next sprinir tl'c tree 

 evidently bore a more healthy appearance, 

 still there was here and there a curly leaf; 

 but the fruit was still bitter — prer\iaturely 

 ripe and imperfect. The past summer how- 

 ever, the second since the process, it lias been 

 as Hourishinjj as any tree I have ever seen, 

 has (rrown surprisinijly, and borne an abun- 

 dance of large fine peaches of a goixl flavor. 

 I have no doubt but tiiat a similar course will 

 b^ found successful, in nine cases out of ten, 

 in restorinsT peach trees to a healthy flourish- 

 inof condition — after they have beirun to ex- 

 hibit .strono- marks of decay. The whole pro- 

 cess cost me little more time than I have now 

 spent in describing it. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Admitting, as stated by your correspondent, 

 that the question of the septic or antiseptic 

 properties of '' lime is a matter of fact, and 

 not a matter of reasoninir," yet where there 

 is difference of opinion, it seems, that in or- 

 der to arrive at the truth, some reasoning or 

 discussion must precede, and not always " fol- 

 low" its acquisition. After facts are once 

 discovered and determined beyond doubt, rea- 

 soning is at an end, except upon the conse- 

 quences or bearing of those facts. That the 

 antiseptic influence of lime in its usual ap- 

 plication in the soil, is not a well settled, un- 

 disputed fact, is proved by the directly oppo- 

 site opinions of many able writers, who have 

 maintained that it promotes decomposition of 

 the vegetable matter in the soil. The (]ucs- 

 tion is one of no little moment to the farmer, 

 that he may rightly understand its best appli- 

 cation. ' 



There seems to be some misunderstanding 

 between your correspondent X, and myself, 

 o\ving perhaps to the indiscriminate use of the 

 word lime, without specifying whether quick 

 lime, or carbonate of lime is intended. I have 

 stated that when quick lime is applied to a soil, 

 it has a tendency to dissolve and decompose its 

 inert and insoluble veiretable matter, thus mak- 

 ing it suitable food for vegetables, whose ab- 

 sorbents receive it in a statR of solution. The 

 onhj •parallel case nut nf the soil, where this 

 can be determined by experiment, is by mix- 

 insr cert:)in quantities of verfetable matter 

 with CTtain proportions of quick lime, sub- 

 jecting; it to the action of air, water, &:c., imi- 

 tatini; the circumstances in which it is usu- 

 ally applied by the I'urmer, and it is believed 



it will be found that decomposition is hastened 

 by the lime. Quick lime will not long re- 

 main without reuniting with carbonic acid. — 

 \n the soil it meets with its natural affinitie.s, 

 oxygen and charcoal, and in the process of 

 uniting, has the decomposing agency before 

 alluded to. 



Salt is a powerful antiseptic, and yet when 

 applied in particular qnantilie.s, acts with great 

 vigor in ai; opposite way. 



It is freely admitted now, as before, that 

 white-washing will preserve a fence or a roof, 

 hut the circumstances are different from those 

 of the soil. I was no little surprised to ob- 

 serve, that X, in the latter part of iiis last 

 communication, " says, he has expressed no 

 opinion about lime before it becomes a carbo- 

 nate." If so, his train of argument is singu- 

 lar. In order to prove, then, that carbonate 

 of lime has a certain effect, he adduces divers 

 instances, of fences, roofs, rail-road timber, 

 and dead horses; in all which cases the quick 

 lime is used, and not the carbonate. Does he 

 not admit there is a substantial difference be- 

 tween them. I had supposed that in the an- 

 nual white-washintr to embellish and preserve 

 my fences and out houses, it was the "alka- 

 line .soZ«rt'o?i" obtained from quick lime, that 

 was the desideratum, and not a mere ini.vture 

 of carbonate of lime and water. The same in 

 the case of rail-road timber. If X has been 

 referring all along to the carbonate of lime, 

 his references to the use of quick lime are not 

 available to his argument. 



My time is much occupied, or T would quote 

 from numerous agricultural writers to cor- 

 roborate my opinion of the decomposing agen- 

 cy of lime, and that the most profitable appli- 

 cation to the land, is to get it on soon after 

 being slacked. 



I hope when X has concluded his experi- 

 ments, " in which he has been some length of 

 time engaged," he will transfer his " accumu- 

 lation of facts" to the pages of the Farmers' 

 Cabinet, so as to set at rest this mooted ques- 

 tion. The great number of communications 

 on lime, from so many of your correspondents, 

 shows the great interest felt in the subject, 

 as v/ell as its vast importance. To sustain 

 X's theory of lime, it seems necessary, a pri- 

 ori, to confirm what I very much doubt, his 

 view, that the nutriment in the soil is disen- 

 gaged faster than it can be taken up by plants, 

 an<l is dissipated and lost. If this latter i.s 

 not the case, and the former is correct, lime 

 may be detrimental. I have only time now 

 for one retnark more. Sir II. Davy in his 

 Agricultural Chymistry states that lime com- 

 bined with carbonic acid, becomes insoluble. 

 .TosEPH Ct.oud, Esq., in the last of his valua- 

 ble communications says, " its union with car- 

 bonic acid greatly increases its solubility." 



East Bradford, .A.pril 8, 1830. M. 



