AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Dmgttefr tff im$rtfire tyz farmer, % flatter, attir t |t <®arftmr + 
AGRICULTURE IS THE MOST HEALTHFUL, THE MOST USEFUL, AND THE MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN,— Washington. 
CONDUCTING EDITOR, PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY 
ORANGE JUDD, A. M. ALLEN & CO., 189 Water-st., New-York. 
VOL xiv.—NO. 12 .] NEW-YORK, THURSDAY, MAY 31, 1855. [NEW SERIES.—NO. oo. 
Xor prospectus, Serins, &c., 
C^*SEE LAST PAGE.-.ffl 
8^" Every one writing to the Editor or 
Publishers of this journal will please read 
“ Special Notices ,” on last page. 
8®“ All letters relating to Editorial mat¬ 
ters should be addressed to Mr. Orange 
Judd, (the Conducting Editor). 
Letters inclosing subscriptions and on oth¬ 
er business should be directed to Allen & 
Co., Publishers, and also those referring to 
both departments. Editorial and business 
matters, if in the same letter, should be on 
separate sheets. 
FOREIGN MANURES—LIME. 
(Continued from page 33.) 
In our former article we stated that of the 
substances commonly termed “ foreign ma¬ 
nures,” or those obtained from sources for¬ 
eign to the farm, there were only two of 
which the general utility for most kinds of 
crops and soils has been established. These 
were stated to be unburnecl bones ground or 
dissolved, and genuine Peruvian guano. The 
others were classed. (2), those applicable to 
special soils or crops ; (3), those worthy of 
trial, and (4) those depending upon the hon¬ 
esty of the manufacturers for their general 
or special value. Among those of the se¬ 
cond class, we place first, 
Lime. —This has been used more or less 
as a manure in almost all ages and in all 
countries. By some it has been esteemed 
as one of the most valuable of all fertilizers, 
while by others it has been considered as 
valueless or even injurious when applied to 
the soil. The cause of this difference of 
opinion is explained by the consideration 
that lime does not, like the animal or vege¬ 
table manures, furnish direct food to plants, 
but is, so to speak, a kind of instrument or 
machine for reducing other substances to the 
condition requisite for nourishing plants. 
To illustrate, suppose we have a plant grow¬ 
ing upon a soil which contains a sufficiency 
of food, but that food exists in such a state 
that it can not be used. The plant requires 
ammonia, carbonic acid, &c., but these ele¬ 
ments are locked up in undecayed roots, 
straw, vegetable fiber, muck, &c. Could 
we take out this vegetable matter from the 
soil and subject it to grinding, heat and fer¬ 
mentation, and return it to the soil again, it 
would then be ready to enter into the com¬ 
position of the plant. But this is impracti¬ 
cable, and we accomplish the same end by 
placing lime in contact with the vegetable 
matter in the soil, and it there acts the part 
of a grinding or decomposing machine. If 
we place lime upon the hand, we know it 
will soon corrode or destroy the flesh. It 
produces a like effect upon all organic sub¬ 
stances, vegetable as well as animal. We 
do not stop to discuss whether lime enters 
directly into the plant as food to supply a 
necessary constituent element. This is a 
question we consider as yet unsettled ; and, 
further, we believe there are few soils which 
do not contain lime enough to supply any 
such certain or hypothetical want. It is suf¬ 
ficient to consider, when and to what degree 
lime may be used as an agency in preparing 
other food. 
Negatively, lime is of no avail to soils 
which do not contain any animal or vegeta¬ 
ble matter; it has nothing to exert its de¬ 
composing force upon, and is therefore use¬ 
less. It is of no advantage to soils which, 
by reason of their warmth and dryness, &c., 
furnish the necessary conditions for a rapid 
decomposition of organic matter. 
Positively, lime is beneficial to soils con¬ 
taining peat, which is vegetable remains cov¬ 
ered with a kind of pitchy matter that shuts 
out air and arrests further decomposition. 
Here it acts as a solvent to this covering, 
and thus admits oxygen, so that decomposi¬ 
tion goes on and elementary food is afforded 
to the growing plants. By its presence, as 
an alkali, it induces the production of vege 
table acids, to form which, decomposition 
takes place, and other elements are set at 
liberty. For the same reason it is benefi¬ 
cial to any soil from which, by reason of its 
compactness or wetness, air is shut out. 
The lime takes the place of the oxygen of 
the air as a decomposing agent. Experience 
as well as theoretical considerations, show 
lime to be more directly and more powerful¬ 
ly effective upon clay or wet soils than upon 
those of an opposite character. We have 
seen lime used on two adjoining farms, upon 
one with the happiest results and upon the 
other with no effect, except a speedy deteri¬ 
oration ; and we found of the two immediate 
neighbors, the one a strong advocate of lime 
applications, and the other as strongly con¬ 
demning its use. An examination of the 
farms showed that the latter was situated 
upon higher ground, was dry, loose, and 
sandy, while the former was low, wet, heavy 
and clayey, or a clay loam. Upon one the 
lime, by reason of the greater warmth and 
the little retentive power of the open soil, 
soon decomposed and sent into the air all, or 
nearly all, its organic matter. Upon the 
other the lime, being unaided by warmth and 
air, was slower in its operation, and the soil, 
by reason of its density and compactness, 
retained for future use the elements of the 
decomposed matter. 
Considering lime only as a decomposing 
agent , we can deduce simple rules for the 
amount to be applied, as well as the kind of 
soil that will be benefitted by its use. While 
it is only to be appiied to such soils as need 
its decomposing agency, the amount applied 
should be regulated by the degree of such 
necessity. Upon a dry, open soil, poor in 
vegetable matter, a very small quantity, not 
to exceed three or four bushels per acre an¬ 
nually, may be used with comparative safe¬ 
ty, and often with benefit. If more than 
this is used, there is danger of wasting the 
organic materials. Upon a wet, clay soil, 
the quantity may be increased to twenty or 
thirty bushels per acre annually, and upon 
very wet, cold lands, the amount may be 
still greater. 
Fresh-burned lime applied and mingled 
with the soil immediately after it is slacked, 
is far more efficient than that which has lain 
long after burning. Lime that has been ex¬ 
posed to the air for a length of time returns 
to a condition similar to that of finely-ground 
limestone. 
On account of its decomposing effect lime 
should never be applied at the same time with 
fermenting farm-yard manures. Let it be 
mingled with the soil a few days or weeks 
after, or, what is much better, before the 
the manure is applied. It may be sown 
broadcast, and harrowed or cultivated into 
the surface previous to the last plowing. 
The aim should be to have it mingled as 
thoroughly as possible with the soil. 
As a special fertilizer for particular crops, 
several are reckoned as lime plants. 
We consider, however, the above considera¬ 
tions as to the condition of the soil as of 
greater importance, believing that, in the in¬ 
stances where its use is indicated as a de¬ 
composing agent, it will benefit all crops. 
Model Sheep. —Mr. Samuel Thorne, of 
Thorndale, Dutchess County, has presented 
as with two beautiful statuettes, in plaster, 
of his celebrated Southdown buck, and a ewe 
sent to him by Mr. Jonas Webb, of England, 
as a perfect specimen of the breed. Upon 
the whole, we think these the most perfect 
and life-like casts of sheep that have come 
under our observation. They would be an 
ornament to any country gentleman’s parlor, 
and ought to grace the rooms of every agri¬ 
cultural society in the Union, as models to 
