[ 248 J 

 not ruin (o much land by it. Lime certainly 

 is a mere liimiihis^ even its diflolvent quality- 

 can be called by no other name: If the foil 

 is rich and well cultivated, lime is of great 

 fcrvice in forcing the ea'-th to yield its 

 fertility ; but if the foil is poor or badly 

 cultivated, its exertions are beyond the tone 

 of the earth ; and forcing too much, when 

 it has nothing to adt upon, reduces the foil 

 to a far worfe flate than is in the power of the 

 greatefl: floven to do, without the ufe of 

 fuch TiJIhnulus, The vileft hufbandry will 

 not reduce land to a caput mortmim^ unlefs 

 lime is ufed ; but with that afiiftance you 

 may nearly reach it. — The extreme excel- 

 lence of lime on a certain foil, which cannot 

 be over limed, ftrongly proves the truth of 

 this obfervation : It is the black peat-earth, 

 which being an abfolute dunghill, the lime 

 has always plenty of vegetable food to work 

 on. Upon the fame principle, I fhould 

 think, lime might be fafely ufed on grafs- 

 land ; for turf being always acquiring riches, 

 the lime cannot be v/ithout the fame food. 

 Upon arable land the great point is therefore 

 to proportion the lime to the dung, or other 

 rich manures ; the better your land is, the 

 more you m.ay lime; inftead of which, Lord 

 Holder?! cf[c\ tenants (and too many others) 

 limed in proportion to the poverty they 

 brought on the foi] ; the confcquence of 



