L 1 ME. 



Hence it is obvious, that thofe who are under tlie neceflity of 

 driving lime from a great diftancc ouglit to be particularly 

 careful to make choice of a kind of iime-ftonc as free from fand 

 a^ polhble, and to drive it in the Hate of fliells, as they will 

 thus obtain an equal quantity of manure at the leall expence 

 of carriage that is polfihle ; and the lightell (hells enight, of 

 ciurfe, to be always preferred. When lime is flaked, that 

 which contains moft fand fall? mod quickly, and abforbs 

 the fmallelt proportion of water. What is pure requires a 

 very lart^e pro;x)rtion of water, and is much longer before it 

 begins to fall. Hence it happens that thoi'e who drive fandy 

 lime-(hells in open carriages, mull be very careful to guard 

 againll rain, becaufe a heavy (hower would make the whole 

 fall, and generate fuch a heat as to be in danger of fetting 

 the carts on fire ; whereas pure lime-lhells are in no danger 

 of being damaged by that circumftance. The writer has 

 fecn a cart loaded with fuch fliells, which had been expofed 

 to a continued fliower of rain, as violent as is ever known in 

 this country, for more than three hours, and feemed hardly 

 to be affecled by it in the fmallell degree. He ought, he 

 fays, to obferve, however, that his experiments were con- 

 fined to only one kind of pure lime, fo that it is not from 

 hence demondrated that all kinds of pure lime will be pof- 

 fefled of the fame qualities. Lime-fliells formed from the 

 purefl lime-done require more than their own weiglit of 

 water to flake them properly-, whereas, fome kinds of lime- 

 ihells that contain much fand do not requite above one- 

 fourth part of that quantity. He has found, by experi- 

 ment, tliat pure lime-fliells cannot be flaked with lefs than 

 about one-fourth more than their own wciglit of water. 

 When^flaked in the ordinary way, the fame lime-fliells took 

 more thau double their weight of water. 



Hence it is much worfe economy, in thofe who have pure 

 lime-fliells, to flake and carry them home in the date of 

 powdered lime, than it is in thofe who have only a fandy 

 kind of lime-fliells to make ufe of. 



It is farther fuggeded that it is even, on fome occafions, 

 more advlfable for thofe who have very fandy lime, to drive 

 it in the date of powdered lime than m that of fliells ; for, 

 as it is dangerous to give that kind of limc-ftone too much 

 heat, led it fliould be vitrified, thofe who burn it can never 

 be certain that the whole of the done wi 1 fall to powder 

 when Viiater is, added, till they have actually tried it ; nor 

 do they think it a great lofs if fome part of it fliould be 

 imperfeAly burned, as it requires much lefs fuel on a future 

 occafion than frefli hme-llone ; and therefore they much ra- 

 ther choofe to err on this than on the oppofite extreme. But 

 fliotfld any one attempt to drive this poor fort of hme in 

 the date of ihells, he would be in danger of carrying home 

 many dones that would never fall ; which would more than 

 counterbalance the benefit he would derive from the want 

 of the fmall quantity of water that is required to flake it. 

 On tliefe accounts it is fuppofed it may be admitted as a 

 general rule, that thofe who can ha^'L• accefs to lime-done 

 which is free of fand, will fave a great deal in the carriage of 

 it by driving it in the date of fliells ; and that, on the con- 

 trary, it will be mod economical, in thofe who can only get 

 lime of a very fandy quality, to drive it in the Hate of 

 powdered hme. Hence it follows, that the praftice which 

 jio\r prevails, of carrying fliell-lime by water frim one part 

 ■of the country to another, is only an imaginary laving, ob- 

 lained at a very high rifl<, to thofe who drive fliells ot a 

 fandy quality ; but a real and unequivocal advantage ot very 

 Jiigh importance to the community at large, if thefc fliel's 

 are obtancd from a pure lime-done. Thefe obfervations 

 relate only to the faving of carriage to the farmer ; which, 

 however, is.an article of great importance toiiiai. 



But there are fome other particulars that may alfo equally 

 afleft him in this way, and in the application of the lime to 

 his ground. A vague opinion in general prevails in every 

 part of the country, that one fort of lime may be more 

 valuable than another ; but it does ijot appear that farmers 

 have hitherto had any rule to dircft them in the choice of 

 different forts of lime ; fome cdeeniing one fort drongcfl;, 

 as they term it, and fome valuing another fort more highly, 

 without being able to.:i/Ggn any fatisfaftory reafon for the 

 preference they give in eitlier cafe. It is of importance that 

 this matter Ihould be elucidated. Although it docs not 

 always happen, yet, in many parts of the country, the real 

 nature of lime is fo little underdood, that the weightied 

 lime is preferred as a manure to lliat which is lighter ; be- 

 caufe it is imagined the firll has more fubilance, and will 

 therefore produce a more powerful efleifi upon ground than 

 the tinelt and lighted lime. But tliere fceir.s to be no rea- 

 fon to think there is any diderence in the fpecific gravity of 

 difleient parcels ot pure calcareous matter when fully cal- 

 cined ; therefore, if there is any difierence in the v\ eight of 

 various forts of lime, it mud arile entirely from a variation in 

 the quantity or gravity of fome extraneous matter tliat i> 

 mixed with the lime ; and as land is alniod the only extraneous 

 body that is ever found in lime-llone, and is always of much 

 greater fpecific gravity than pure quick-llnie, it follows, that 

 the weighty lime only owes its fuperior gravity to a larger 

 proportion of fand that is mixed with it. But fand is of 

 no value as a manure ; io that he who voluntarily purchafe* 

 this kind of lime in preference to the other is guilty of a 

 great degree ot folly ; which will be tlie greater if he has 

 likewife to drive it from a confiderable dillance. 



However, thole tarmers who have accefs to only .one fort 

 of lime-done, mud be contented with it, wliatever may be 

 its quality. But.fucli as have an opportunity of choofing 

 may be benefited by the oblervation, that pure lime-ftone, 

 when fully calcined and flaked, is reduced to a fine white 

 impalpable powder that feels loft between the fingers, 

 without the Imalled tendency to grittinefs ; while fuch 

 lime as contains land is never fo fine nor fo foff, but feels 

 gritty when rubbed between the liugers. See Aiiderfon's 

 Edays. 



JlSion, Qjmnti/y, and yfjip/icatloti of Lime. — The author of 

 Modern Agriculture remarks, that there are few didrifts 

 where lime is not either in general ufe, or partially intro- 

 duced as a manure. With refpcdt to the ufe of hme, or 

 the benefit derived from it as a mean of fertilizing the foil, 

 fome are of op;,i:on that it promotes vegetation, by ilimu- 

 lating, or forcing the foil^ with which it is incorporated to 

 exert itfelf : others .niiagine it promotes vegetatiuu by en- 

 riching the foil, and thereby adding to the quantity of vege- 

 table food. Various other opinions, different from thefe, 

 and in fome indaaces oppollte to each other, have been 

 entertained refpeiiing the manner in which lime operates 

 upon land ; but all tliat we yet know with certainty on the 

 fnbiect, is collected fr-^m praflice and experience, whereby 

 it is proved that lime lomebow or other operates fo as fre- 

 quently to produce luxuriant crops on foils which, before 

 the application of that manure, were comparatively of little 

 value,; and farther, that on all foils which are treated pro- 

 perly after being thoroughly limed, its beneficial elfecls are 

 .diicernible by the mod curfory obftrver. Various other 

 modes in .which this fubdance may be ul'eful as a manure, 

 may be feen under the terms Cakareous Eautji, and Piios- 

 rjioitu.i. 



The proportion or quantity of lime appUed to the acre 

 feenis hitherto, the fame writer obferves, fixed .by no certain 

 rule, either in. regard to the nature of the different foils, the 



modes 



