ERRORS OF ARTHUR YOUNG. 385 



in that case his marl cart will not be called for, though there be but 5 per 

 cent, or even less, of calcareous matter." Young's Essay on Manures 

 Sect. 2. 



It is scarcely necessary to state, that the opinion of calcareous 

 matter being needed in larger quantities in proportion to the defi- 

 ciency of the " organic" or putrescent matter, is directly opposed 

 to the reasoning of this essay. If a poor soil were made to contain 

 twenty per cent, of calcareous matter, by applying lime, chalk, or 

 marl, the quantity and the expense would be so enormous as not to be 

 justified by any possible return ; and besides, it would lessen rather 

 than increase the product of a poor soil. The fact named as strange 

 by Young, that some rich soils contain very small, and others very 

 large proportions of calcareous earth, is easily explained. If a na- 

 tural soil contains any excess of calcareous earth, even though but 

 one per cent., it shows that there is so much to spare, after its 

 having served every purpose of neutralizing acids and combining 

 with putrescent matter. If there were twenty per cent, more of 

 calcareous matter, it would be useless, and indeed probably hurtful, 

 until met by an additional supply of putrescent matter. Young's 

 statement that some poor soils agree precisely with other rich soils, 

 in their contents of calcareous earth, does not necessarily contra- 

 dict my doctrine that a proper proportion of calcareous earth will 

 enable any soil to become rich, either in a state of nature, or un- 

 der mild cultivation, and for the following reasons : 



22. 1st. The correctness of Young's analyses of soils may be 

 well doubted; and if he used the then usual processor separating 

 calcareous earth, he was obliged to be incorrect on account of its 

 unavoidable imperfection, as has been already explained at page 

 57. 2d. It cannot be known positively what was the original state 

 of fertility of most cultivated soils in England, nor whether they 

 were subjected to exhausting or improving cultivation, for centuries 

 before our information from history begins. 3d. Lime has been 

 there used for a long time, and to great extent ; and chalk and 

 marl were applied as manures before the time of the Roman con- 

 quest, as stated by Pliny (or more than 1800 years ago); so that it 

 cannot be always known whether a soil has received its calcareous 

 ingredient from nature, or the industry of man. 4th. It is known 

 that severe cropping after liming, and also excessive doses of cal- 

 careous earth, have rendered land almost barren; of which the 

 following extracts offer sufficient proof: 



''Before 1778 [in East Lothian], the out-field did not receive any dung 

 except what was left by the animals grazed upon it. In many cases, out- 

 field land was limed ; and often with singular advantage. The after man- 

 agement was uniformly bad ; it being customary to crop the limed out-field 

 with barley and oats successively, so long as the crop was worth cutting. 

 In this way numerous fields suffered so severely as to be rendered almost 

 sterile for half a century afterwards." Farmer's Magazine, p. 53, vol. xii. 



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