AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
15 
Use of Gas Lime. 
In all our larger towns where gas is used for 
lights, there is a considerable quantity of waste 
lime thrown out from the gas houses, lime being 
used for passing the gas through to purify it. We 
have various reports from farmers who have 
tried this, some in favor, some that it has no 
effect, while others have condemned it as rank 
poison to crops. Several inquiries have recently 
been addressed to us, one of which from F. S. 
Hawley, of Binghampton, N. Y., we forwarded to 
Prof. S. W. Johnson, of the Yale Analytical and 
Agricnltiaral School requesting an opinion. His 
reply will throw some light upon the subject. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
The various contradictory opinions held among 
practical farmers, with reference to the value of 
gas-lime as a manure, are justified by the extreme 
variableness of its composition. When perfectly 
fresh from the gas-purifiers, it is in general a 
rather dangerous application to any growingcrops, 
or in contact with seed. Mr. Solomon Mead, of 
New-Kaven, Ct., informs me that he once applied 
it in the hill to potatoes, and they never came 
up. A gentleman in Wallingford, Ct., applied it 
to grass land and to the roots of peach trees. The 
trees were destroyed, and the grass severely 
scorched, so that it did not fairly recover until the 
ensuing year. 
It may be used in the fresh state upon naked 
fallows, especially when it is desirable to free the 
soil from slugs, injurious worms, or couch grass. 
What its action is upon vermin may be inferred 
from the fact, that when fresh, it contains a sub¬ 
stance (sulphid of calcium) which is the actual in¬ 
gredient in the depilatiors and cosmetics, which 
are articles employed for removing hair. There is 
an account of its being thrown into a hog-penwith 
the intent that the swine should incorporate it with 
the compost heap. This was effectually accom¬ 
plished, but at the expense of the bristles and hair 
of the hogs, which were, in a great measure, re¬ 
moved by the operation. 
It is thought, too, that the odor of the coal-tar 
which is mixed with the gas-liine in greater or less 
quantity, serves to dislodge insects and vermin, 
and it is sometimes sowed in small quantity over 
young turnip-plants to prevent the attacks of the 
turnip-fly. In Scotland, it is largely applied to 
moss-land which it is intended to reclaim. 
The quantity of easily soluble matters, (sulphid 
of calcium, sulphite and hyposulphite of lime,) is 
so variable, ranging according to analytical data, 
from 2J to 15 parts in 100, that we may readily 
comprehend how some gas-limes may be quite 
harmless if applied in moderate doses even to 
growing crops, while others, rich in these soluble 
and deleterious matters destroy all vegetation. 
It has been supposed that fresh gas-lime is val¬ 
uable on account of the ammonia it contains. 
When the gas-lime is emptied from the purifi¬ 
ers in which it has been exposed to the gas, it 
has a quite pungent odor of ammonia, but the 
quantity, though enough to affect the nostrils, 
is in reality quite too small to have any great ma¬ 
nuring value, and quite disappears after a few 
lays exposure to the air. Mr. Twining, of this 
Laboratory, found in a specimen of perfectly fresh 
gas-lime from the New-Haven gas-works, but 
8-10ths of one per cent of ammonia. In a gas-lime 
from the gas-works at Waterbury, Ct., which had 
been esposed to the air for one week, he found 
but about 4-100th of one per cent. 
Fresh gas-lime may be advantageously used in 
composting swamp muck, &c. 
By full exposure to the atmosphere, as when 
scattered over fallow-ground, after a time it he¬ 
roine's innocuous. The soluble caustic ingredi¬ 
ents are converted into no less valuable a sub¬ 
stance than gysurn (plaster), and then, after its 
odor and bitter burning taste have disappeared, it 
acts precisely like a mixture of lime and gypsum. 
How rapidly these changes take piace, I have no 
means of knowing without making actual trial, but 
should presume that if a dressing of gas-lime be 
incorporated thoroughly and uniformly with the 
soil one week before sowing or planting, no harm 
could result to the crop. 
In conclusion, your correspondent is recommend¬ 
ed to use it, if he can get it more cheaply than 
other lime, at the rate of 50 bushels per acre on 
heavy soils—or 10 to 20 bushels on light soils— 
making one application in three or four years. 
If fresh it should be put on the bare soil and noton 
a crop. In case of corn or potatoes, it may be 
scattered between the rows and worked in at hoe¬ 
ing time. If the gas-lime is white and tasteless 
after exposure to air for a time it, may be sown 
like gypsum. * 
It should be remembered that a wet soil will 
not be much benefiued by lime, nor by any ma¬ 
nure, unless in a dry season ; and that a light dry 
soil is soon spoiled by lime unless a good supply 
of organic matter be maintained in it, by means of 
stable manure, muck composts, or green-manur¬ 
ing. Lime and plaster, too, are at the best, even 
when they exhibit their most extraordinary effects, 
but partial fertilizing agents. 
S. W. Johnson. 
--» « - — -- -- 
The Ship and the Guinea Hens- 
We heard a story many years ago of the late 
Mr. Bartlett, of Newburyport, Massachusetts, an 
eminent merchant, and founder of the Andover 
Theological School, which is characteristic enough 
to be true. We give it as we had it from one of 
his neigbors, and being somewhat in the agricul- 
cultural line, is not out of place here. 
Mr. Bartlett was largely engaged in the India 
trade, but to amuse his leisure hours, bought a 
farm, a few miles out of town, to which he fre¬ 
quently rode for recreation, and in its various oc¬ 
cupations he was much interested. Seeing a pair 
of Guinea Fowls brought to market one day, and 
being the first that he had met, and highly pleas¬ 
ing his fancy, he bought them and took them out 
to his farm. As it was in the spring of the year, 
before many weeks had passed, the hen began to 
lay. Instructing his farmer to look closely aftej> 
the eggs, in a few days he had collected enough 
for a sitting, and placed them carefully under a 
common hen. The peculiar appearance and 
strange manner of the new' birds had greatly inter¬ 
ested Mr. B., and he was impatient to see their 
little chickens, and every time he went to the 
farm inquired if they were about to hatch, and 
charged his man to let him know as soon as any 
appearance of the young chicks was indicated. 
Faithful to his trust, one sunny morning the man 
rode into town, found his employer at his counting 
room, and told him that some of the eggs had 
“ pipped,” and the chickens would probably be out 
in the course of the day. “Sam,” said Mr. B., 
calling to his porter, “ go to the house and harness 
the horse before the chaise, and bring him here 
instantly ; I must go to the farm.” Away went 
Sam, a3 directed, and in a short time he drove 
the horse to the door, where stood Mr. B., impa¬ 
tient for his coming. Just as he was getting in, 
one of his clerks stepped up and informed him a 
favorite Ship of his had just arrived from India 
with a valuable cargo. She w'as down the bay, 
and the captain had sent up to know what dispo¬ 
sition should be made of her. “ Tell the captain 
to wait,” said Mr. Bartlett, “ I am going to the 
farm to see about my Guinea Hens, and when I 
get back ’twill be time enough to look after the 
Ship !” 
Now here was a ship and cargo worth, perhaps, 
a hundred thousand dollars ; but that was of no 
consequence for the time, while a clutch ofyourig 
Guinea Hens, not worth a single dollar, excitea 
his curiosity so much more, that let the conse¬ 
quences of waiting be what they would for the 
ship, cargo, and crew, the Guinea chickens must 
be looked after any way. Ships and cargoes were 
every day matters with the great merchant, but 
Guinea Hens were a rarity. Who says that a rich 
man may not take pleasure in his farm if ho 
wishes to I 
- -—»9 i » - ■ «•- 
The Lawyer and His Fruit Trees. 
The story above puts us in mind of an incident 
which happened some years ago, under our own 
observation. 
In adjusting and settling up some of the great 
transactions which had taken place in the extend¬ 
ed business of the years of 1836, ’7, ’8, in this 
city, a few years afterwards, the parties, debt¬ 
or and creditor, bad met, and after long and 
wrangling negotiations, for a settlement of the 
matter between them, and agreed on the terms. 
Important legal papers had to made out, and the 
indebted party, who had brought with him his law¬ 
yer, from home, some hundreds of miles off, to 
see that all was right, was in a hurry to have the 
papers executed and return. The creditor had 
his lawyer too ; and the latter supposing the ne¬ 
gotiation to be a protracted one, was quietly 
looking over his own affairs, and busied about 
those days in laying out and planting a young or¬ 
chard at his place, which he had but lately pur¬ 
chased, a few miles out of the city, on Long Isl¬ 
and. Just as he was leaving his office for home, 
in the afternoon, one day, his client called in and 
informed him that himself and his debtor had 
agreed on a settlement of their affairs, and wished 
him to attend next day and draw up the papers. 
“ I can do no such thing,” replied the man of the 
law. “ My men have been busy for a week 
past preparing my grounds for planting ; my trees 
are all unpacked, and happen what will, I must 
stay at home and see them planted.” 
“ Yes,” returned the client, “ but what are a 
few fruit trees to the settlement of a controversy 
of such magnitude! You see that it involves an 
amount of near three hundred thousand dollars ! 
Mr. -and his lawyer are impatient to be off 
and the thing must be done immediately.” 
No matter. Three hundred thousand or three 
millions, its all the same to me. My trees shall 
be planted to-morrow. The buds are bursting 
already, and another day w r ill ruin them if not in 
the ground. Let-’s lawyer draw the papers. 
He has nothing else to do. He is too honorable 
a man to cheat, and even if he were disposed to, 
I shall be better able to detect him after getting 
my trees off' my mind, than to wait in my office to¬ 
morrow and draw up papers, when I can’t get my 
thoughts away from my trees ” 
The creditor reluctantly assented, but really 
wondered what a lawyer of his reputation 
could be about, in fooling away his time in such 
nonsense as that. Next day the parties met to 
do up the papers ; the creditor’s attorney took the 
matter in hand, did the work, and the day after 
our eminent city man of the law appeared, blithe 
as a lark, his trees all planted, looked over the 
documents, pronounced them “ all right,” and the 
affair was ended. That lawyer, we have the mea¬ 
sure to know, has since become as good a Ja^m^r, 
in the employment of his leisure hours m -.e 
little farm in the country, as he was constm*^ 
his profession. 
