302 



Lime. 



Vol. VII. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Lime. 



Messrs. Editors, — Your correspondents 

 on both sides of the question, seem to admit 

 that an over dose of magnesian lime is hurt- 

 ful to vegetation for a season; which appears 

 to be about as much as we are to expect in 

 the way of agreement; but it must not be 

 supposed, that no good has been derived from 

 the agitation of the subject in the pages of 

 the Cabinet — I for one, have reaped much 

 information, and have been led to think and 

 to act upon it, with the expectation of de- 

 riving pleasure as well as profit from the 

 labour of our intelligent friends. And in 

 the mean time, I would copy for insertion in 

 your pages, the following short, but very 

 seasonable and highly judicious remarks, 

 from an article on the same subject, con- 

 tained in the second volume of "Memoirs 

 of the Philadelphia Agricultural Society, 

 by John Lang." The writer observes : 



"It will be admitted, that all animal and 

 vegetable matter contained in the soil, must 

 undergo a decomposition by some means or 

 other, so that being thereby reduced to such 

 a state as to be easily soluble in water, it 

 may be absorbed by the roots of plants ; and 

 that these roots naturally possess, to a con- 

 siderable degree, the power of producing 

 this decomposition, I have had occasion more 

 than once to observe, in the case of planting 

 potatoes with woollen rags instead of dung. 

 I have seen fine crops raised, merely by 

 dropping a small piece of woollen rag, not 

 larger than the hand, with every set of the 

 potatoe ; and have observed, when the pota- 

 toes were gathered in the fall, that in every 

 instance where a potatoe plant had failed to 

 vegetate, the rag was turned up almost en- 

 tire, and very little wasted by being buried 

 under the ground; whereas, not the smallest 

 vestige of a rag was to be seen, where the 

 plants had grown to perfection. 



"But there are other animal and vegeta- 

 ble substances, which require more powerful 

 solvents to prepare them for the food of 

 plants; such substances, therefore, must be 

 decomposed, either by means of the putrid 

 fermentation, or by the application of hot 

 lime, &c. ; but while the putrid fermentation 

 is going on, it is exceedingly noxious to ve- 

 getation, as we may see by the bad effects 

 of putrid or stagnant water upon the roots 

 of tender plants; while, on the other hand, 

 hot lime will check the progress of putre- 

 faction, and at the same time very quickly 

 effect the decomposition of various bodies; 

 thereby preparing sweet and wholesome 

 juices, whether they consist of carbon, phos- 

 phorus, oils, or alkali; or compounds of all 



or either of these. And I conceive, if the 

 lime meet with a sufficient quantity of such 

 substances, as it in this manner acts upon, 

 it will, by mixing with them thus prepared, 

 be thereby deprived of its caustic quality, 

 in the same, or somewhat similar manner, 

 to that whereby magnesia or chalk, blunts 

 or sheaths the points of the sharp particles 

 of acids. But if the lime does not meet 

 with a sufficient quantity of carbonic, or 

 other matter in the soil to act upon, so that 

 its caustic quality may be overcome, then, 

 in such case, it will act upon the tender 

 roots of the growing plants, in the same 

 manner as it acts upon grass or other vege- 

 tables, when laid in heaps upon the surface : 

 and tin's, in my opinion, is the cause why 

 lime, in some instances, is hurtful, instead 

 of being beneficial to land. Upon the 

 whole, therefore, instead of troubling our- 

 selves about distinguishing the different 

 qualities of magnesian and calcareous lime, 

 it would be better to use lime sparingly on 

 poor land, and at the same time, to use 

 every exertion to increase our dung and 

 compost heaps, whereby our land will be 

 prepared for the application of lime, not 

 only with safety, but to great advantage." 



In conclusion, I have now before me, a 

 field of five acres, which, three years ago 

 was poisoned, by having a very thick cover- 

 ing of magnesian lime spread upon it, al- 

 though it was well worked into the soil and 

 seeded, unaccompanied by any other crop, 

 with a variety of grass seeds; the sod be- 

 coming thickly covered with dwarf or sheeps- 

 sorrel, exceedingly to the annoyance of the 

 owner; but which has been completely re- 

 covered, by a very thick coat of rich dung, 

 repeatedly brushed into the sod ; the herbage 

 the present year, being very fine and sweet, 

 and yielding three cuttings of great luxu- 

 riance, for the soiling of cattle. P. S. 



Bucks co., Nov. 15th, 1842. 



The business of husbandry brings men 

 acquainted with the condition and mystery 

 of all inland trades, inasmuch as they all 

 depend on and have relation to the plough, 

 in which all interests are interwoven ; nor 

 can a discouragement fall on husbandry, oc- 

 casioned either by bad seasons or untoward 

 circumstances, but the artisan, the merchant, 

 and even the sovereign on his throne must 

 feel it. 



If gentlemen would use such methods to 

 attain a skill in husbandry, as they do to 

 become masters of any other art or science, 

 they would soon find an entertainment in it, 

 not unworthy the most exalted genius. 



