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Lime, — German Professors and Delaware Reviewers. Vol. VII. 



compelled to invent another theory, and con- 

 fess that it preserved vegetable fibre. But 

 as common farmers seemed to think vege- 

 table manure must decompose, before it 

 could form a part of new plants, a third 

 theory must be invented, and they are al- 

 most as sure they are right this time, as 

 they were twice before. A Delawarian 

 now tells us, it only "checks injurious pu- 

 trefaction — but promotes the healthy decay 

 of vegetable matter, and the excrements of 

 plants contained in the soil." Although at 

 the risk of having my name changed, from 

 Van-leer to Van-dal, I have another supposi- 

 tion, which is, — that after magnesian lime 

 and multicaulis, the greatest humbug of the 

 day, is agricultural chemistry. But to con- 

 tinue the comparisons : — 



Mr. Lewis acknowledges, that the prin 

 cipal opposition to the anti -magnesian doc^ 

 trine, is found "amongst the farmers of 

 south-eastern Pennsylvania;" and I think it 

 must now be confessed, that farmers in that 

 small portion of the globe, are not a unit on 

 the subject. Another writer tells us, that 

 " land in Devonshire, England, is completely 

 ruined by burning — bad cropping — and over 

 liming.'''' And " ought not these considera 

 tions to admonish" A Deer Creek Farmer, 

 " to qualify his publicly expressed opinions, 

 when they are likely to come in conflict 

 with the long established opinions of others]" 

 But the gentleman from Deer creek, is on 

 the right track — experiments are what we 

 want. Mine only apply to primitive soils, 

 far from the ocean, — the sea air may change 

 the very nature of magnesian lime — every 

 poison has its antidote. But when the gen- 

 tleman mentions " lands in the neighbour- 

 hood of Deer creek," that have improved in 

 the most astonishing manner, and in a short 

 time, " by the very means" I have proposed 

 without lime or magnesia, I hardly know on 

 which side to place him : I would advise 

 "the individuals" he mentions, who have 

 brought ther lands to a state of productive- 

 ness not often surpassed, without lime, to 

 let well enough alone, until they see some 

 of the "best limed farms" equal their own 

 But what will Lancaster County Farmer 

 say to this ] here is poor land, not calcare- 

 ous, improved without lime; — plaster seemed 

 to keep the clover growing too. Why, Messrs 

 Editors, if I was unfortunately to step from 

 between them, we should have a second edi- 

 tion of the Kilkenney cats! 



But to return to the Professor and his 

 transcriber — their whole theory is founded 

 on analysis of soils that had never been 

 limed. Do they certainly know, that mag 

 nesian limestone is the same thing after it 

 has passed through the lime- kiln, that it 



was before'! The advocates for powdered 

 limestone were great men in their day, and 

 [ thought their arguments quite as reason- 

 able as those the burnt-lime men use ; but 

 there were no great lime powder manufac- 

 tories in operation, and they were soon writ- 

 ten down, and there we at present leave 

 them. The question . farmers now want 

 solved, is not whether lime in its native 

 state, is of benefit, but — is burnt-lime of ad- 

 vantage] A Delawarian must have a very 

 contemptible opinion of the capacity of your 

 readers, or he would not make such long 

 quotations about every thing but the matter 

 in dispute. It is carbonate of lime and mag- 

 nesia, not phosphate and sulphate, we are 

 disputing about; if this is kept in view 

 when we read his article, it mostly refutes 

 itself. Flow does A Delawarian know, that 

 "alkaline qualities should pervade all parts 

 of a soil, and that plaster is only needed on 

 the surface !" Has he not told us, that '■'■plas- 

 ter retains the ammonia of the soil, as well 

 as that of the atmosphere'!" And when 

 Leibig himself teaches us — this, however, 

 A Delaioarian does not copy — that ammonia 

 is the great stimulus to the growth of plants, 

 so far from perceiving, "why more lime is 

 required than plaster," I see the very con- 

 trary — why more plaster should be required 

 than lime. Tell him, if I am " far behind 

 the times" of Leibig and himself, I have no 

 desire to overtake them ; I shall have just 

 that much start when they turn on their 

 way to plain " common sense." We had 

 better at least wait for the next agricultural 

 work from Germany, before we close up to 

 them ; for it appears, a countryman of Lei- 

 big, has discovered a process by which 

 grain of all kinds may be grown, without 

 any application of manure to the land before 

 sowing; the mere rolling of the seed in 

 some kind of prepared matter, being suffi- 

 cient to produce the most luxuriant crops ! 

 But I refer my readers to your Cabinet for 

 April, 1843, for the rest of the article. 

 " Ought not these considerations to admon- 

 ish" A Delawarian to be careful how he 

 applies such terms as " far behind the times," 

 to his friends ? What becomes of the 6365 

 bushels per acre, of lime and magnesia, in 

 the soil and subsoil now! In fact, such wri- 

 ters as Leibig, know just enough to mislead 

 men without practical knowledge; especially 

 such as do not enjoy "the perusal of your 

 publication," and are so little acquainted 

 with the most common terms in use amongst 

 farmers, as not to know what we mean, 

 when we speak of grass lands that have 

 run out. If such men find a fertile soil, 

 containing a large quantity of native lime- 

 stone, they do not ask what else it contains, 



