THE FARMERS' CABINET, 



AMERICANHERD-BOOK, 



DEVOTED TO 

 AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, AND RURAL AND DOMESTIC AFFAIRS. 



"The Productions of the Earth will always br- in proportion to the culture bestowed upon it." 



Vol. VII.— No. 2.] 



9th mo. (September,) 15th, 1842. 



[Whole No. 92. 



JOSIAH TATUM, 



PROPRIETOR AND PUBLISHER, 



No. 50 North Fourth Street, 



PHILADELPHIA. 



Edited by the Proprietor and James Pedder. 

 Price one dollar per year. — For conditions see last page. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Magnesian Lime. 



Mr. Editor, — My time has been so fully 

 occupied for several months, with the duties 

 of a laborious profession, that I have not 

 found leisure to pay my respects to your 

 correspondents, who have noticed my essays 

 on magnesian lime. But if they have been 

 neglected, they have not been forgotten, 

 and each may yet receive a word of remem- 

 brance. 



There is one thing which seems to distress 

 them sorely, both as respects Mr. Kinzer and 

 myself, and which ought, therefore, to be at- 

 tended to first ; and that is, they cannot un- 

 derstand how we can argue so earnestly, or 

 express ourselves so strongly, (thank them 

 for the compliment,) unless we are interested 

 in the burning and selling of magnesian lime, 

 and hope by these means, to open a more 

 extended market for it. Mr. Kinzer has 

 already answered for himself, and I will 

 briefly state, which I do most cheerfully, 

 being always willing to relieve distress, that 

 I own no limestone land nor limestone ; that 

 I am not engaged directly or indirectly, in 

 the manufacture or sale of lime, either mag- 

 nesian or pure, — and that I have no interest 

 whatever, in the matter, further than a de- 

 sire to see the truth established, and our ag- 

 riculture improved. Hoping by this unequi- 

 vocal disclaimer, to have satisfied them on 

 this important point, and that hereafter they 

 will turn their attention more to elucidating 

 the subject in controversy, than to prying 

 into my business, I will first notice your 

 correspondent B. Webb, who I would thank 

 to quote me correctly next time he tries his 

 hand, and not make my strong language 

 stronger by his version of it. 



He and I, it appears, differ in opinion, 

 with respect to the effects produced by mag- 



Cab.— Vol. VII.— No. 2. 



nesian lime; to this I have no objection, 

 as every one has a right to his opinion, no 

 matter how absurd; but when opinions, from 

 their plausibility, are likely to be adopted, 

 and if adopted would probably lead to prac- 

 tical error, we are very much inclined to 

 inquire closely into the grounds on which 

 they rest. This inquiry, I know, is some- 

 times very annoying to the opinion-manu- 

 facturer, but, nevertheless, must occasionally 

 be submitted to. Now where are the proofs 

 on which the opinion of your correspondent 

 rests ? Where are the analyses to show the 

 real composition of the lime used 1 He tells 

 us of a vessel load of lime from the Schuyl- 

 kill that did not kill the grass where it was 

 deposited; and of another lot of 500 bushels 

 of magnesian lime, that destroyed every ves- 

 tige of grass where a load of it was deposited. 

 Now, I ask again, where is the evidence, 

 that either of these was magnesian, or that 

 they were not both so 1 He expressly tells 

 us, that the Schuylkill lime was not submitted 

 to any chemical operation, and does not say 

 that the other was. Now, I have known re- 

 peated instances, where grass has been de- 

 stroyed, by placing heaps of barn-yard ma- 

 nure on it ; yet surely no one would impute 

 this to magnesia, or to the deleterious nature 

 of dung to vegetation, when used in proper 

 quantities. Again, he says, " Magnesian 

 lands produce no vegetation. The earths 

 found in soils, are mostly silex, clay, lime, 

 and magnesia ; and where magnesia predo- 

 minates, the land is always barren." But 

 is not this the case when any of the earths, 

 even his own favourite pure lime, abound, 

 beyond a certain due proportion, which is of 

 itself perhaps not very definable. 



Are not shifting sands, and stiff* potter's 

 clay equally destitute of vegetation] Chalk is 

 amongst the purest forms of carbonate of lime, 

 yet chalky soils are notoriously poor. There 

 are not, in all England or France, more hope- 

 less or incorrigible barrens, than their chalky 

 heaths, where the soil is composed in a great 

 measure of the pure carbonate of lime. 

 Many articles are very valuable as manures, 

 when used in small quantities, yet ruinous 

 to vegetation if applied largely. The infer- 

 ence then, that magnesia is deleterious to 



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