THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



71 



gard to known tacts, arid strict reasoning there- I my opinion in regard to lime destroying sorrel. 

 - fVom,itisreadilyadmittedthatIhadalsoinferred jdoes so incidentally and fully to the purpose-— 

 (and still infer,) that the same doctrines will ap- j and would seem to rely, for the producing of 

 ply elsewhere, under like conditions of soil, &c; j this effect, on much smaller quantities of Time 

 and that like facts will appear as the effects of j than I have usually applied in the form of marl, 

 the like causes, in any other locality. The diffi- 1 1 could not refer to any witness on the subject 

 culty is to know when the conditions or causes whose opinions, founded on practice and expe- 

 are alike, or the same — and whether the assumed rience, are entitled to or will command more re- 

 facts and premises are correctly and fully known, spect, than this distinguished and successful 

 or otherwise have been incorrectly observed, j liming farmer. 



and are, therefore, mistaken in their operation; I have additional reason to protest against my 

 and their report, as evidence, of no value what- 1 views being tested by such facts (of the growth 

 ever. It is entirely proper and legitimate that I of sorrel)*as are adduced by both my censors, 

 inquirers, or doubters of my propositions, should j because of my personal experience of how im- 

 apply my proposed tests of" soils in other re- j perfectly and incorrectly similar facts have been 

 gions — and if finding different results, to declare | observed, and, therefore, incorrectly reported, 

 that rriy doctrines were not sustained by the ! and applied to this question. Long ago, when 

 facts in that locality. But it is not legitimate j the doctrine of lime preventing the growth of 

 reasoning,, to apply views designed especially j sorrel was novel, and was doubted by many, I 

 for and limited to one region, to another very have heard of many particular and limited facts 

 different in important characteristics. If my j of the growth on apparently well limed, or cal- 

 alleged facts are false, or questionable, they i careous soil — and also have seen and'investi- 

 should be assailed, and their weakness exposed, j gated some of the most remarkable of such facts. 

 But it should be by conflicting facts and testi- and apparent contradictions of the doctrine re- 

 mony furnished in the same region. Of facts ' ferred to. But every such fact of apparent ex- 

 and testimony on the subject, there is no scar- j ception that has come under my personal obser- 

 city, among the hundreds of experienced marl- j vation was susceptible of explanation, so as tq„ 

 ing farmers in lower Virginia. Among all these, show abundant reason why the supposed con- 

 I doubt whether one can be found who will not tradiction, though apparent, was not real. In 

 fully confirm the particular position which the Prince George county, where many such sup- 

 supposed facts of Dr. Pendleton and the editor possd contradictory facts have been noticed, and 

 are brought to disprove — which is, that sufficient I served at first to strengthen doubts, probably 

 marling (and, by necessary inference, also lim-'not a single marling farmer, at this time, could 

 ing,) will speedily destroy the growth of sorrel, j be found to question the truth of the rule that 

 and. also render the land incapable of producing j sorrel is certainly destroyed by sufficient marling, 

 that plant. And if it be required to know what ! When, after marling or liming, sorrel still grows 

 I mean by "sufficient" marling or liming to pro- j generally over the land, the fact merely indicates 

 duce this preventive effect, I answer, that it is I that there had not been applied enough lime to 

 pot any certain quantity, but just so much as will j combine with the acid, and then to leave the 

 leave everywhere in the soil, after thorough in- 1 least surplus of free lime, or carbonate of lime. 

 Jermixture by tillage, the smallest excess of re- 1 If on land certainly well or sufficiently marled 

 maining and free carbonate of lime. If correct for limed, on the general average, sorrel still 

 analyses of soil, after marling or liming and suf- j grows, and ever so luxuriantly, on particular 

 ficient tillage processes lor thorough intermix- 1 spaces, it is owing to irregular spreading of the 

 cure, will truly exhibit a general remaining ingre- ! manure, or want of its thorough intermixture 

 dient of carbonate of lime of but one-fourth ol*| with the soil by subsequent tillage. A field gen- 

 one-hundredth part of the tilled soil, that soil, | erally may be too heavily and injuriously marled 

 (as I believe) will be sufficiently calcareous to or limed, and yet any small spaces, left unsup- 

 % prevent the growth of field or she'ep-sorrel. 



It is true that there may exist in print little or 

 no direct testimony, other than my own, main- 

 taining this opinion in the general; and it is so, 

 precisely because there are no persons in the 

 marling region to question the fact asserted, or 

 to require its further proof by additional evi- 

 dence. If some one were to assert that ma- 

 nuring was injurious to the growth of tobac- 

 co, it may be doubted whether Dr. Pendleton 

 could prove the contrary by adducing existing 

 testimony to maintain this fact of universal ad- 

 mission, and which, as no one of any experience 

 or knowledge on the subject had ever questioned 

 its truth, so no one had deemed it necessary di- 

 rectly to affirm it. However, Mr. Willoughbjj 

 Newton, in his review of the Essay on Calca- 

 reous Manures, (published in Southern Planter.) 

 though not deeming it required to affirm directly 



pucu uy uicyuicu uibuiuuiiuij, wuuiu pruuuoe 



sorrel as freely as before. Further, I and many 

 others have seen, and at first with astonishment, 

 sorrel growing vigorously on heaps of highly 

 calcareous marl, which bad been dropped, and 

 remained for some months before being spread, 

 on sorrel-producing land.* No stronger oppos- 

 ing cases in appearance, could be presented. 

 Yet tfcese strongest apparent contradictions, 

 when carefully scrutinized, so jar from disprov- 

 ing the existence, afforded additional confirma- 

 tion of the antagonistic qualities of marl and 

 sorrel. 1 found, on examination, that plants so 

 growing sprang out of the natural soil below. 



* Two different communications, from correspondents 

 such facte, were published in different parts of the Far- 

 mers' Register, accompanied by the investigation of similftr 

 facts, and explanation of the apparent contradictions, hy %h, - 

 present w riter. 



