84 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



ment to the debtor, but in the aggregate, as the 

 above figures show, of a vast deal of importance 

 to the creditor. We shall this month send out ac- 

 counts in all cases where we have not regular local 

 agents, and we beg those indebted, to remit us the 

 money without delay. We have contracted engage- 

 ments which must be complied with or we will 

 suffer by them. Will the bom and sinew permit 

 that, when bare justice on their parts will prevent 

 it? We hope and we beg that they will not. Pay 

 up now, like honest men and good fellows. 



HITCHING THE TAIL TO THE PLOUGH. 



The other day we received a new paper called 

 the "Practical Farmer," just started in Vineen- 

 nes, Indiana. While looking over it our eye 

 caught an article copied from the "La Fayette 

 Courier," headed "Plough Presentation." It 

 contained remarks of Woodford Stringfieid, of 

 Kentucky, who was authorized by Messrs. Brin- 

 ley & Co. of Kentucky, to present the Hon. H. 

 L. Ellsworth one of their best ploughs. We 

 were much interested both in the address of Mr. 

 S. and the answer of Mr. Ellsworth, but not a 

 little surprised when we came to the following 

 remark: "J cannot omit to notice the wonderful 

 change between ancient and modern farming. 

 A rude crooked stick, fastened to the oxen's tails 

 was the cruel practice that once prevailed in the 

 north part of England, and such was the at- 

 tachment to this practice, that it required an act 

 of Parliament to remit the barbarous torture to 

 the poor animals; and more lately I have no- 

 ticed, while in New England, in the purchase 

 of horses for a southern market, a preference 

 was shown to those which had strong docks and 

 long tails, that the plough could be attached di- 

 rectly to the long hair!" 



Really! we should like to know in what part 

 of New England Mr. Ellsworth found himself. 

 It must be that the Yankees had all died out. 

 and their places been supplied with the ghosts 

 of some of the old Druids.-— Exchange. 



And we should like to know another thing. Whe- 

 ther Mr. Ellsworth supposes that any one will be- 

 lieve that horses are hitched by the tail to ploughs 

 in any part of the South 1 No one knows better 

 than Mr. Ellsworth that the statement is a libel on 

 Southern farmers. — Ed. So. Pl. 



LIME AND ITS CHEMICAL CHANGES. 



A reader of the " Rural " desires us to give 

 an article on the chemical changes which take 

 place in burning and slaking lime, &c. Lime 

 is not, as was once supposed, an clement, but 

 consists of the metal calcium united with the 

 gas oxygen, and is properly an oxide of cal- 

 cium, just as potash, soda and magnesia are 

 oxides of potassium, sodium and magnesium. 

 It is never found pure in nature, except occa- 



sionally in the craters of volcanoes, but is usu- 

 ally united with carbonic acid gas for which it 

 has a strong attraction. In this state it is 

 neutral, and insoluble in pure water. When 

 limestone or any other form of carbonate of 

 lime is exposed to a sufficiently high tempera- 

 ture with access of air or moisture, the carbonic 

 acid gas is driven off, and the lime which re- 

 mains is called quick or caustic, from its strong 

 alkaline reaction. When such lime is plunged 

 into water for a short time, or water is poured 

 upon it, heat is evolved, the lime swells, cracks, 

 gives off much watery vapor, and finally falls 

 to a powder. This powder, or slaked lime, is 

 a hydrate of lime, water being chemically com- 

 bined with it. In this state it is still caustic, 

 though somewhat milder than when fresh from 

 the kiln. 



The rise of temperature is so great when 

 large heaps of good lime are suddenly slaked, 

 as to inflame gunpowder and scorch wood; it 

 certainly exceeds, accordingly to Pelletier, 500°, 

 and when the operation is performed in a dark 

 place light is also evolved. All sorts of ima- 

 ginary causes have been assigned to account 

 for these phenomena. They arc referable, how- 

 ever, to a very simple and universal law. All 

 substances during their change from a gaseous 

 to a liquid, or from a liquid to a solid state, 

 evolve heat, and vice versa. The intense cold 

 produced by liquefying ice or snow by admix- 

 ture with salt is a familiar instance of the lat- 

 ter; and the heat evolved in solidifying car- 

 | borne acid under intense cold and pressure is 

 sometimes dangerous evidence of the former — 

 the expansion of air consequent on the sudden 

 liberation of heat from the carbonic acid in 

 the moment of congelation, not unfrequently 

 shattering the vessel to atoms. 



Lime in slaking will absorb one-fourth its 

 weight of water; but the slaked lime is not 

 more moist than before. The water unques- 

 tionably, therefore, is chemically combined with 

 the lime and becomes solidified; and it is sim- 

 ply owing to this solidification and chemical 

 combination of the water that heat is evolved. 



Caustic lime has a strong affinity for water 

 and carbonic acid. When kept in a dry place 

 it gradually slackens; cracking, splitting and 

 crumbling to powder with the evolution of 

 heat — which, however, is not so perceptible on 

 account of the length of time during which 

 the process is extended — just as though it had 

 been slaked by pouring on water. In this case 

 the lime has obtained the 25 per cent, of water 

 it needs to slake it from the atmosphere. There 

 is this difference, however, between air slaked 

 lime and that which is water slaked. The for- 

 mer is slaked precisely as the latter by the ab- 



