322 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[September, 
How Lime Is Burned. 
The simplest method of preparing lime for 
agricultural uses is by burning it in stacks, very 
much in the same way as charcoal is prepared. 
(Fig. 1.) The spot selected for the burning is 
the quarry, which should be a soft variety of 
stone cleaving naturally into small fragments 
or being easily broken. The heap is usually in 
the form of a parallelogram, about a rod wide, 
Fig. 1. — STACK OF LIME BrrRNINa. 
and of any desirable length. The first thing is 
a ground-work of wood about eighteen inches 
in thickness, of the size of the proposed stack. 
The wood may be old stumps or any coarse 
material, and the dryer it is the better. The wood 
is surrounded with a layer of earth and sods, 
leaving holes about fifteen inches square, at in- 
tervals of five or six feet, for firing the wood, 
and for regulating the combustion. These ven- 
tilators should run back into the mass of wood 
several feet, and be filled with dry kindling 
wood at the time of firing the heap. Upon this 
foundation of wood, a layer of the broken stone 
is placed, about six inches thick, then a layer, 
two inches thick, of fine anthracite coal, called 
culm in the coal districts. This is what is 
screened out in preparing the merchantable coal 
for market. It can generally be had for the 
cost of carting or freight at the shafts, where it 
often accumulates in large quantities. It adds 
very much to the heat of the fires, and reduces 
the expense of burning. The heap is then car- 
ried up six or eight feet high with alternate lay- 
ers of culm and limestone, the stone la}'ers in- 
creasing a little in thickness toward the top. 
The whole mass is covered with a layer of dirt 
at the sides, and at the top as soon as the heap is 
well ignited. A heap containing several thou- 
sand bushels will burn down in about six days. 
It is calculated that one ton of the coal will 
bum about 150 bushels of lime. Any one who 
has skill enough to burn a coal pit, can prepare 
lime by this method. It is principally of use 
where the limestone is in small fragments or 
easily broken. Of course, good coal and wood 
can be substituted for the refuse anthracite, if 
that is not to be had. Under favorable cir- 
cumstances for obtaining fuel, lime is burnt 
in this way for one or two cents a bushel. 
The harder varieties of limestone require a 
kiln for burning them. This is usually placed 
-LIME-KILN. 
Fig. 3. 
upon a side hill for convenience in delivering 
the stone and fuel for charging. (Fig. 2.) A con- 
venient size for a farmer's use would be about 
twelve feet across at the top, sixteen at the bot- 
tom, and eighteen feet high. The outer walls 
should be laid in masonry, and the walls of the 
inner chamber that 
holds the charge, 
(Fig. 3.,) should be 
lined with fire brick, 
or with some re- ^ 
fraetoryor infusible 
stone. The cham- 
ber is nearly in the 
shape of an egg, the 
small end down- 
ward, about three 
feet across at the 
bottom, seven at the 
top, and sixteen feet 
deep. There is a 
flue at the bottom, 
two feet or more square, and extending com- 
pletely under the chamber, for the purpose of 
giving draft for the fire, and it also serves for 
discharging the lime when it is sufficiently 
burned. The small holes above the flue, in fig- 
ures 3 and 3, are for the purpose of thrusting in 
an iron rod, when needed to hold up the mass 
of stone and fuel within. In charging such a 
kiln as this, about a cord of dry wood would be 
placed upon the bottom, and on top of this 
three or four bushels of refuse anthracite, then 
a la}-er of the broken stone about one foot in 
thickness. Three inches of coal would be placed 
upon this, and so on until the chamber was 
filled, the layers of stone increasing in thickness 
toward the top. The burnt lime would be drawn 
I 
Fig. 3.— SECTION OF KILN. 
Fi<T. 4. — KILN FOR OTSTEB SHELLS. 
out at the bottom twice a day, about thirty-five 
bushels at each drawing, and fresh layers of 
coal and lime added on top. Such a kiln can be 
kept going for months until any desired quan- 
tity of lime is burned. It is calculated that by 
this method a ton of coal will burn a hundred 
bushels of lime. The culm is carried on the 
railroads considerable distances, and delivered 
at the depot for just the cost of freight. At two 
dollars a ton at the kiln, it is probably cheaper 
than wood cut upon the premises. The cost of 
the lime to the producer would not be, under 
favorable circumstances, more than four or five 
cents a bushel. This very cheap lime is one of 
the secrets of its almost universal use in Penn- 
sylvania and western New Jersey. Of course, 
where fuel costs more, lime will be dearer ; but 
we think wherever lime rock and wood are 
plenty, lime can be economically made and ap- 
plied to the soil. The experiment certainly 
ought to be tried over a much wider region. 
Figure 4 shows the process of preparing oyster 
shell lime in our cities and villages. The 
refuse of coal yards, now so often used for road 
making or grading, might be applied to burn- 
ing oyster shells with great economy. This 
lime is usually considered better for agricultu- 
ral purposes than that prepared from stone. 
"Willow Stakes for Fences on Bottom Land, 
BY nOOSIEE. 
Spring freshets and floods prove very destruc- 
tive to farmers living along water courses, by 
washing away fences. Stakes without roola 
will decay,and wash out, letting the rails take a 
free ride on the swift and turbid waters. Almost 
every farmer knows what a disagreeable task 
it is to reset fences, and it is particularly so after 
freshets, when the rails are all coated over with 
mud and slime. To make rail fences compar- 
III 
WILLOW FENCE POSTS. 
ativsly permanent, you must have self-support- 
ing stakes, that is, stakes that will firmly sup- 
port themselves, and also the weight of the 
fence and waters. To make a stake self-sup- 
porting, it must have roots to enable it to retain 
a firm hold of the earth. The willow, white, 
or yellow, is for this purpose about as near 
being " the right thing in the right place," as 
any tree we can find. It grows without trouble, 
aud is anatural denizen of wet, marsh y grounds ; 
therefore it is well adapted for stakes through bot- 
tom lands. The stakes may be cut from three 
to ten feet in length, and from three inches to 
a foot in diameter. They may be set in 
holes made with a post auger, about two feet 
deep, firmly ramming the earth around them ; 
or they may be pointed, aud driven into the 
ground. In one season they will be well rooted, 
thrifty trees, well able to resist, and hold the fence 
against, the impetuosity of the rushing water. 
The willow grows easily from cuttings, and 
when properly pruned, makes a beautiful tree. 
From its rapid growth it is rendered valuable 
as a shade tree for pasture lands. It grows al- 
most as well on the hill top as in the valley, 
unless the former be very dry or rocky. 
Perhaps a willow hedge through bottom 
lands would be better than staking rail fences. 
The only trouble would be the closeness of the 
hedge, making too much "back-water," but that 
might be obviated. As to the size of the cut- 
tings it may be said that they will grow from a 
small twig to a linvo as large as a man's bod}'. 
Keep stock from browsing them for the first year 
or two, and after that there will be no trouble. 
[The cuts represent two light fences made al- 
together of willow. In fig. 1, the posts are two 
Fig. 3.— wtilow fence with eidse. 
stakes driven perpendicularly, and bound with 
withes which form the support of the rails. 
It is best to nail besides. Fig. 3 shows a feuce 
made by turning four furrows together on the 
