Q U I 



Q U I 



to be a mere decoitipofed bafalt : two parts of flaked lime into cultivation all forts abounding in hard roots, dry fibres, 

 and one part of tarras form the principal part of tlie mor- or inert vegetable matter. The qucftion, of courfe, vvlie- 

 tar ufed in the great dykes of Holland. It is iiii)|)ofed 

 that fubilances which will anfwer all the ends of jni/./.oiana 

 and tarras, are abundant in the Britifli iflands. An excel- 



lent red tarras may be procured in any quantities fnnn the 

 Giant's Caufeway, in the north of Ireland : and decom- 

 pofmg bafalt is abundant in many parts of Scotland, and in 

 the northern diftrids of England in which coal is found. 

 It is obferved that Parker's cement, and cements of the 



ther cjuick-hme (hould be applied to land or not, depends on 

 the quantity of inert vegetable matter it contains ; and that 

 whether mild lime, niarle, or powdered limc-ftone, fhould be 

 ufed or not, on tlie quantity of calcareous matter already in 

 the land. All forts of land are improved by mild lime, and 

 ultimately by quick-lune, which do not eifervefce with 

 acids ; and the I'andy forts more than the clayey kinds. 

 In land deficient in calcareous matter, but containing much 



fame kind made at the alum-works of lords Dundas and /«)/hM' vegetable manure, the ufe of quick-lime (hould con 



Mulfrave, are mixtures of calcined, ferruginous, liliceous 

 and aluminous matter, with hydrate of lime. 



It is noticed, that the cements which atl by combining 

 with carbonic acid, or the common mortars, are made by 

 mixing together flaked lime and land. Thefe mortars at 

 firfl folidify as hydrates, and are flowly converted into car- 

 bonate of lime by the adlion of the carbonic acid of the air. 

 It was found by Mr. Tenuant, that a mortar of this knid, 

 in three years and a quarter, had regained fixty-three per 

 cent, of the quantity of carbonic acid gas, which conftitutes 

 the definite proportion in carbonate of lime. The hardncfs 

 of the mortar in very old buildings is alfo thought to de- 

 pend upon the perfett converfiou of all its parts into carbo- 

 nate of lime. The pureft lime-ftones are the bell adapted, it 

 is faid, for making this kind of mortar. The magnefian 

 lime-ftones make excellent water cements, but aft with too 

 little energv upon carbonic acid gas to make good common 

 mortar. The Romans, on Pliny's authority, made their 

 bell mortar a year before it was ufed ; io that it was par- 

 tially combined with carbonic acid gas before it was employ- 

 ed, it is fuppofed. 



It is likewife fuggefled, in regard to the cultivation and 

 improvement of land by means of this material, that quick- 

 lime in its pure ilate, whether in powder, or difl'olved in 

 water, is injurious to plants ; grafs in feveral inflances having 

 been killed by watering it with lime-water : but that lime, 

 in its ftate of combination with carbonic acid, is an ufeful 

 ingredient in foils. Calcareous earth is found in the aflies of 

 the greater number of plants ; and expofed to the air, lime 

 cannot long continue cauftic, but foon becomes united to 

 carbonic acid. Tliat lime, when combined with about one- 

 third of its weight of water, conftitutes hydrate of lime ; 

 and that it becomes carbonate of lime by long expofure to 

 the atmofphere, the place of the water being fupphed by 

 carbonic acid gas. On mixing frefhly burnt or flaked lime 

 with any moift fibrous vegetable matter, a flrong aftion oc- 

 . curs between them, and they form a fort of compoil, part 

 of which is commonly foluble in water. In this way, lime 

 renders matter, before comparatively inei"t, nourifhing ; and 

 from charcoal and oxygen, abounding in vegetable matter, 

 it becomes converted into carbonate of lime at the fame time. 

 Mild hme, or powdered calcareous fubftances, have no ac- 

 tion in this way on vegetable matter ; by their operation they 

 prevent the too quick decompofition of bodies previoufly 

 diflolved ; but do not tend to form foluble matters. Con- 

 fequently it is clear that the operation of quick-lime and 

 mild calcareous fubftances, depend upon wholly different 

 principles. The former, on being apphed to land, tends to 

 bring the hard vegetable matter contained in it into more ra- 

 pid decompofition and folution, as a proper food for plants. 

 The latter only improve the texture of it, or its relation to 

 abforption : it is merely an earthy ingredient. Quick-lime, 

 in becoming mild, has a fimilar aftion, but while taking on 

 that ftate, prepares foluble out of infoluble matter. On 

 this depends the operation of lime in the preparation for 

 wheat crops, its efficacy in fertilizing peats, and in bringing 



ftantly be avoided, as tending either to decompofe the folu- 

 ble matters, by uniting to their carbon and oxygen in be- 

 coming mild, or to combine with the foluble matters, and 

 form compounds with lefs attraftion for water than the pure 

 vegetable fubitance. The fame is the cafe in regard to moft 

 annual manures ; but its operation is different in difierent 

 cafes, according to the nature of the animal matter. On 

 the whole, it (hould however never be employed with ani- 

 mal manures, except when too rich, or for preventing 

 noxious effluvia. It is hurtful in mixture with common 

 dung, and tends to produce infolubility in the extraftive 

 matter. It is ufeful in mixture with fimple vegetable barks, 

 &c. 



The folution of the queftion about the inutility and dif- 

 advantage of magnefian lime, which has lately been found 

 ufeful in fmall quantities on the poorer lands in Leiccfter- 

 (hire, as from twenty-five to thirty bulhelsthe acre, and in 

 larger ones, on the rich foils ; it is fuppofed to depend upon 

 that fort of lime having a lefs attraftion for carbonic aeid 

 than the other, in confequence of the portion of that fub- 

 ftance in it, and thereby remaining longer in the cauftic 

 ftate ; and its becoming fooner a carbonate of lime in the 

 rich than in the poor foils. Magnefia, while in the cauftic 

 flate, is poifonous to certain kinds of plants, and afts fo in 

 the mixture as lime. It may be ufefuUy applied in large 

 quantities to peat -earths ; and to lands injured by too much 

 of this fort of lime, peat-earth will be a proper and cffeftual 

 remedy, when ufed in a fuitable proportion. 



More full information may be met with on this curious 

 and interefting fubjeft in the firft volume of Anderfon's 

 EfTays on Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in Doflic's Me- 

 moirs of Agriculture, vol. ii. and in fir Humphry Davy's 

 " Agricultural Cliemiftry." 



QuiCK-Mfl«uri', a term fometimes applied to that fort 

 which is ftrewed over crops upon the furface of the land, 

 fuch as foot, fmall dungs, different foi-ts of aflies, &c. As 

 manures in this intention on pafture lands, wheat, clover, 

 tare, and other fimilar crops, twenty bufhels of foot is re- 

 commended to the acre, fixty bufhels of rabbit or poultry 

 dung, and fifty of pigeons' dung and aflies ; but much larger 

 as well as fmaller proportions are made ufe of in different 

 inflances and circumitances. The foot and dungs fliould be 

 fown over the crops about the middle of March, the afhes 

 in Febrirary, and all in the mod equal and exaft manner 

 poflible, as much depends upon this being properly per- 

 formed. See Ashes, Duxo, and Soot. 



In different counties there is much difference in the ufe of 

 fubftances of thefe kinds in this way as manures. In Hert- 

 fordfhire the ufual quantities of foot employed in this man- 

 ner are from about twenty to forty bufhels, on the wheat 

 crops ; but in fome places they are ufed to the extent of 

 fifty or more on the acre. The apphcation of this materia! 

 is univerfal throughout almoft evc-ry parifh in the whole 

 county, in this mode and intention. Afhes in the fame dif- 

 trift are coniidered by fome as rendering the foil more 

 light and open, without contributing, in any great degree, 

 N n 2 to, 



