282 On Liming Land. 



Lime on clay has never succeeded with me, to any- 

 profitable extent. The idea of its durably warming cold 

 clayey land, is unfounded. Heat is disengaged, when 

 water or moisture solidifies, while lime is slaking; 

 but it becomes shortly thereafter, a cold substance.^ 



^ Moss or a green fungus, such as is seen on damp north 

 walls, stones, or on the butts of trees growing in cold soils, 

 will be often found on the ridges of limed lands, in great 

 plenty. I have considered this as a sign of coldness, rather 

 tiian heat, in the lime. I have conceived that hot, dry, and 

 light soils were benefitted and corrected, by the cool and bind- 

 ing quality of the lime ; as well as by its attracting and re- 

 taining moisture ; independent of its other qualities. Mosses 

 are found in all kinds of land, and especially in wet and cold 

 soils. I think they abound on limed lands, in by far the 

 greatest quantities. 



See Mr. Lajig^s observations on i.tmp. — page 1 ; which 

 are well worth attention. I unwillingly meddle with conjec- 

 tures, however plausible they may seem ; leaving them in 

 better hands. It is known however, to every body, that limey 

 after parting with its fixed air, thirsts for its recovery. I 

 therefore believe with Mr. Lang (page 7) that it preys on 

 the plant, for lack of other supplies ; and attracts all the 

 carbonic acid it can obtain. And this is its process, rather 

 than durably warming the land. Heat is not disengaged 

 while it recovers its fixed air, as it is when it parts with it. 

 Dung gives it the pabulum it wants, both for its caustic and 

 attractive qualities ; — so do vegetable substances found in 

 the earth ; — of which poor and exhausted land affords the 

 fewest ; and therefore will bear the least lime. This fact I 

 know ;■ — its theory I will not insist on j — ^lime certainly (espe- 

 cially when applied fresh) retards maturation ; and exposes 

 the wheat crop to injvny, if not to ruin. I have repeatedly 



