THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



.757 



raising a few feet from the ground, one man 

 can manage it — provided the feet of the tripod 

 are sharp and take good hold in the ground. 

 There should be a number of holes in the out- 

 side legs A and C — that the pins may be rais- 

 ed or lowered according to the size of the ani- 

 mal. A stout pin o, 2 feet long, inserted in leg 

 J5, will assist in hoisting. Any negro can 

 make it of 3 stout fence rails, and pack it on 

 his shoulder to any spot you may select to kill. 



Yours, Loudoun. 



For the Planter. 



Action of Lime. 



Mr. Editor : 



Before giving you the results of my experi 

 ments in regard to the action of Lime, (and J 

 which I shall always take pleasure in doing,) ' 

 I must guard 3^011 against placing any confi-j 

 dence in them, in view of the title with which j 

 I have been complimented. My only claim to 

 the distinction referred to, should be credited 

 to the kind feelings of an old and much valued 

 friend. 



Some years since, I made an application of 

 30 bushels of Lime to a measured acre of land, 

 by the way of experiment. This acre was 

 similar in quality and character to the rest of 

 the field, the whole being what is termed a 

 clay soil. The field was put in corn and fol- 

 lowed by oats and wheat, but no beneficial ef- 

 fect was discernable upon either of these crops. 

 Indeed the effect seemed to be rather injurious 

 than otherwise ; and the same remark may 

 be extended to the three years it remained in 

 grass. When put in corn again, however, this 

 acre could be readily distinguished by the 

 greater luxuriance of the growth, and this 

 superiority was maintained throughout the 

 season. This singular and unlooked for re- 

 sult, after a lapse of six years, led me to in- 

 stitute a series of experiments to ascertain the 

 precise mode of action of Lime. With this 

 view seeds of wheat, and of other plants, 

 were germinated upon cotton in glasses of 

 water, — and when of sufficient size, were 

 transferred, half of them, to glasses contain- 

 ing pure water, the other half to glasses con- 

 taining water in which Lime in its different 

 forms had been dissolved. From these experi- 

 ments, it appeared that Lime in any other form 

 than that of a neutral salt, rather retarded than 

 promoted the growth of plants. This result 

 seemed to account for the uniformly beneficial 

 effect of Lime in those countries where it ex- 

 ists as a natural ingredient of the soil, and the 

 question now presented itself, why should its 

 action be so different upon clay and sandy 

 soils when artificially applied ? 



While reflecting upon the subject, it oc- 

 curred to me, that the difference might safely 

 be referred, in the first place, to the entire 

 change of properties occasioned by the process 

 of burning; old combinations being thus bro- 



ken up, and new affinities evolved. And in 

 the second place, to the opposite chemical re- 

 lations of these soils inviting a favourable di- 

 rection of these new affinities. Thus, clay is 

 known to exhibit a slight alkaline reaction, 

 and hence it may be reasonably inferred, that 

 in these soils new affinities of the Lime will be 

 expended entirely upon the decomposing or- 

 ganic remains; and so long as this process con- 

 tinues, there must necessarily be a conflict be- 

 tween the vital powers of the plant, and the 

 chemical action of Lime, both contending for 

 the same element — carbonic acid ; nor will this 

 contest cease until the Lime has returned back 

 to its natural, or original state, — that of a 

 neutral salt. In the instance which ha> been 

 mentioned of the application of 30 bushels to 

 an acre of clay soil, it would seem to be a fair 

 inference that the unfavourable direction of the 

 new affinities continued for a period of sixyears. 



On the other hand, silex, which is the base 

 of sandy soils, exhibits an acid reaction, 

 and hence it may be supposed that in 

 these soils the new affinities will be, to a 

 considerable extent at least, diverted from the 

 organic matters, and invited to the silex or 

 silica acid, — thus forming a salt of lime which 

 is perhaps more generally useful than any 

 other. Of this fact, the old walls of buildings 

 furnish a striking illustration.* 



Influenced by the foregoing views, it has 

 been my practice to sow Lime upon the wheat 

 field at the rate of six or eight bushels only 

 per acre, the aim being to secure what I term 

 its physiological in contradistinction to its 

 chemical action, and I am satisfied it is the 

 best mode on soils of which the predominant 

 ingredient is clay. Thus applied, the effect is 

 generally soon visible in the improved colour 

 of the plants, and a permanently healthful 

 green will always insure a yield commensurate 

 with the fertility of the land. The remote ef- 

 fects are recognized in the gradual diminution 

 of the sorrel and running brier, and a corres- 

 ponding increase of the clover family. 



Becoming infected with the guano fever, my 

 experiments were suspended, much now to 

 my regret. They have, however, been again 

 resumed, and at a future time I may perhaps 

 be able to report progress. 



In regard to sandy soils, my endeavour 

 would be to secure both its physiological and 

 chemical action, and for this purpose, should 

 think the application of fifteen or twenty 

 bushels per acre would be an ample dressing 

 for a rotation of five or six years. It is well 

 known that plants can take up nothing except 

 in the form of solution, and we have abundant 

 evidence going to show, that the effects of fifty 

 or one hundred bushels of Lime applied to an 



* Such, at least, seems to be the conclusion de- 

 ducible from the admitted chemical data in- 

 volved. 



