34 ON THE USE OF LIME, MARL, AND SHELL-SAND. 



In land naturally deficient in lime turnips- will refuse to grow, 

 or, if they grow, will produce a scanty and irremunerative crop. 

 Unlimed land, moreover, is liable to give rise to the disease, in 

 turnips, called " fingers and toes." Ttis is so well known to 

 practical men, that lime is considered by many a specific remedy 

 against this disease, and the appearance of the disease itself in 

 turnips as an indication of the propriety of reliming the land. 

 Professor Johnston also states it as his opinion " That the 

 cure of this disease appears to be the application of a large dose 

 of lime to the stubble-land in the autumn, after it lias been 

 turned up by the plough." 



Turnips grown upon peaty land, it is well known to practical 

 feeders, are hardly worth being consumed by fattening stock. 



On the other hand, those grown on the rich turnip soils of the 

 Lothians are very nutritious. These soils, being formed by the 

 disintegration and decomposition of trap and other similar rocks, 

 often contain a considerable amount of lime, and we may there- 

 fore infer that lime exercises a direct influence in the production 

 of a large amount of nutritious substances. 



Potatoes when grown upon heavy land or wet clay soils are 

 improved both in quantity and in quality by the application of 

 lime. On heavy wet land potatoes, it is well known, are gene- 

 rally waxy, and the addition of lime to such land has the effect 

 of making them more mealy and agreeable to the taste. On light 

 soils the use of lime is said to diminish this crop. 



Upon corn crops lime also acts beneficially. On clay land 

 especially it greatly increases the produce in grain and straw. 

 Whilst it has the effect of hardening the straw of wheat, at the 

 same time it produces a finer and heavier grain, yielding more 

 flour. The improvement which lime is capable of effecting upon 

 grain crops is more marked on stiff than on light soils ; and 

 greater on barley than on wheat or oats. 



Barley, of all the corn crops, is most benefited by the use of 

 lime, and oats appear to derive the least benefit from its applica- 

 tion. Still I have no doubt that, on clay soils, oats will be 

 much improved by lime. On light gravelly soils oats suffer by 

 the too abundant use of lime, and it ought therefore to be applied 

 in small doses, just sufficient to keep the land in proper con- 

 dition for the cultivation of turnips and grass. 



III. ON THE APPLICATION OF LlME, MARL, AND SHELL-SAND, WITH 

 SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE SOILS IN THE WEST OF ENGLAND. 



On the Quantity of Lime usually added to Arable Land in the West 



of England and in other Districts where Land is limed. 

 It is a point of much practical importance to the farmer to 

 know in what quantities he should apply lirne to the land. 



