1854 . 
285 
to guide some one in a course which has always done 
well in my case. 
When the corn has so far ripened as to have the 
husk turn a little yellow and begin to loosen from the 
^ear, and while the stalk and leaves are yet green, I 
cut and stack five rows in a row of stacks. Tie two, 
hills together on the third row, and make good sized 
stacks, for they are less likely to get down; wind well 
with three bands, and it will stand till winter without 
taking hurt and the stalks will make excellent fodder; 
besides it cleans the ground well for the next crop. 
One reason for writing this article is, to give the ex¬ 
perience of one who is looking for light, and wants 
the experience of others in every thing that pertains 
to the science of agriculture. And to the agricultural 
press I would say, give us light. L. A. Brown. 
West Haven Ct. —— 
Lime as a Fertilizer. 
No soil possesses fertility in a high degree unless it 
contains lime in a very considerable proportion. Ex¬ 
cess can be no otherwise than'hurtful, else there would 
be no occasion to name it excess ; and so too of de¬ 
ficiency. But these can hardly ever be determined by 
chemical analysis, but only by trial, as the quantity 
of lime which can be usefully applied depends on 
what other constituents are present in the soil. 
Lime in an uncompounded state, seems to be less 
used now than formerly. It seems questionable, how¬ 
ever,whether or not recourse to a dressing of lime occa¬ 
sionally would not prove advantageous. The amount 
of lime annually removed from the soil by a course 
of cropping must be restored in some way or abother. 
When all the grain, straw, hay and roots, grown on a 
field, are removed away from it, there must be quite 
an amount of lime less in the soil than before. On 
clay soils, upon the texture of which lime produces a 
specially favorable effect, this diminution of the a- 
mount of lime cannot be restored, probably,in any bet¬ 
ter or cheaper way than by the simple article itself, 
rather than by sulphate or phosphate or super-phos¬ 
phate, or any other compound of lime. Neither wheat, 
nor barley, nor oats, nor clover, can be raised in per¬ 
fection without a suitable, supply of lime in the soil. 
It is needed to give strength to the straw, to prevent 
lodging, and to make the berry perfect. It is essen¬ 
tial to the healthy growth of clover, as also of potatoes, 
turnips, and perhaps other roots. 
The sulphate of lime or gypsum, which has been so 
extensively found useful as a fertilizer, usually con¬ 
tains in a hundred parts, forty-six parts of sulphuric 
acid, thirty-three parts of lime, and twenty-two parts 
of water. This compound of lime, before it becomes 
soluble, requires about five hundred parts of water to 
be added. It cannot very soon be useful, therefore, 
in a state of solution. And as to its power of fixing 
ammonia, there are doubts uttered of late, and a wide 
difference of opinion exists. From the results which 
have been reported of the application of sulphuric acid 
mixed with water, as a manure or fertilizer, we 
are inclined to think that a good share of the beneficial 
effects of gypsum is to. be attributed to the evolution 
and action of the acid upon the constituents of the soil 
which afford nutriment to the crop to which the gyp¬ 
sum is applied,, or to the succeeding one. 
And if rightly informed as to the composition of an¬ 
other professed compound of lime, a celebrated super¬ 
phosphate, we would ascribe a large amount of its 
good effects, when it has any, to the sulphuric acid 
which enters into its composition. A considerable share 
of the good effects of this highly puffed article, is also 
owing, probably, to the carbonaceous matter which it 
contains. For charcoal or carbon is useful on almost 
all soils. And this superphosphate is said to contain a 
large amount of charcoal and sulphuric aeid, and a 
small amount of guano. * 
Coal-Tar on Lime Mortar, 
Messrs. Eds. —Will you inform me through Hie 
Cultivator , how coal tar, spread on lime plaster of an 
inch in thickness, instead of on cloth or strong paper, 
will answer for flat roofs? We use no sand, but a 
large proportion of clay to the lime in our plaster, 
which renders it cheap, and as it will not warp nor 
shrink, I do not see why it would not make a good 
roofing. If used, should the plaster be dried before 
applying the coal tar, and what quantity of tar per 
hundred feet, would it require. If you, or any of your 
correspondents, can inform us whether this has ever 
been tried, or what objections you have to it, you will 
much oblige by informing us. 
Please also inform me whether lime that will bear 
5 or 6 times its quantity of sand, for plaster, will be 
proportionally superior as a fertilizer, to lime that will 
bear but once its quantity. A Subscriber. Rye- 
gate, Vt. 
We are not aware that the experiment has received 
a full trial—perhaps some of our correspondents may 
inform us. If the coal-tar will shut out completely 
all moisture, the coating may stand—provided also 
expansion and contraction of the boards do not cause 
cracking. If, however, moisture enters the composi¬ 
tion, the first winter will split it to fragments. 
A little impurity in lime may unfit it for the best 
cement; but not injure it, but even possibly benefit it 
as manure, if this impurity happen to be a fertilizing 
substance. Hence lime for building and for enriching 
the soil, are not, of necessity , correspondingly valua¬ 
ble. —* 0 — 
Twin Calves—White Carrots. 
Messrs. Editors —I wish to ask a few questions 
through the columns of the Goun. ©ent. Is it true 
that twin heifers will not produce young ? 
Will the white carrot produce abortion in cows ? I 
find both of these opinions prevail here to some extent. 
C. N. B. 
The opinion that twin-heifers will not produce young, 
probably originated from the fact that “free-martins” 
(heifers born as twins with a bull calf,) are often de¬ 
fective in organization, as Hunter proved by dissection, 
and consequently will not bear,—although frequently 
no such defect exists. But we have never heard that 
when both the twins are heifers, any difficulty what¬ 
ever has been found. 
We do not. believe the white carrot will produce abor¬ 
tion—unless by injudicious feeding—as we never knew 
any difficulty of this kind, after considerable experi¬ 
ence with it. 
