188 
aftringent and fedative on living ani- 
mals. If it produce fimilar effeéts upon 
vegetables, it muft be hurtful in this 
climate, where the ftimuli to vegetation 
are, in general, lower than what is re- 
quired to the perfeétion of growth: hence 
thofe foils are, in common language, 
called cold clays; even if the fummer be 
clear and warm, vegetables do not thrive 
upon them, for while the drought hard- 
ens the clay, and prevents the roots from 
penetrating the foil. it concentrates any 
‘alum which the motfture had diflolved, 
and thereby encreafes its action. 
When lime is applied to this foil, it 
decompofes the a:uminous mixture in 
the clay, as the vitriolic acid has a 
fironger attraction for the calcareous 
-earth than for the earth of alum, and 
thus deftroys a fedative and injurious 
fubftance. At the fame time, as gyp- 
fum, which is the new compound that 
is formed, is very infoluble in water, it 
tends to increafe the quantity of pow- 
dery matter which is fo necefiary in this 
fpecies of foil.—Befides, though we do 
not yet poffefs any certain knowledge of 
the proper food of vegetables, it has 
long been cbferved, that fixed air pro- 
motes their growth; and, theretore, it 
will not be thought vifionary, to fuppofe, 
that the liberation of this air, when the 
lime is uniting with the acid, will be fa- 
vourable to vegetationt. But whatever 
we may attribute to this, the falt which 
is formed by the lime with the vitriolic 
acid, is itfelf a ftimulus to vegetables, 
and by this property, becomes highly 
ufeful to this lard We have welkat- 
tefted acceunts of the advantage of gyp- 
fum upon grafs land, which we have 
reafon to confider as a proof of its being 
a fiimulus to living vegetables. 
In attending to the effects cf lime upon 
trong clay-land, we may, therefore, 
prefume that it is ufeful by defiroying 
a fedative fubftance, by affifting in pul- 
verizing the foil, by forming a new falt 
which ftimulates the vegetable fibre, and, 
perhaps, by producing confiderable quan- 
tities of fixed air, which favours vegeta- 
tion. ; 
On large 

+ If this be the cafe, would it not be better, 
in this inftance, at leaft, to apply the calcareous 
earth in its crude ftate ? May it not, alfo, de- 
ferve the attention of the farmers in the neigh- 
bourhood of the Tyne, to try the effeé& of the 
vaft quantities of chalky gravel, which, at pre- 
fent, lie ufelefs upon the ballaft hills. to corre& 
the defects of the ftrong cold clays which cover 
fo large a proportion of the furface of the land, 
efpecially on the north fide of that river?—_V.F 
Farms. {Apriy 
Thefe views, if well founded, may 
lead us to fuppofe, that the fcientific far- 
mer will alter the account which he has 
hitherto given of the manures employed 
by him. He has ufually divided them 
into two claffes, from his idea of their 
operation ; the firft comprehending thofe 
which promote the putrefaétion of the 
vegetable fubftances already in the foil; 
the other, thofe fubfances which them- 
felves undergo putrefaétion. But if ve- 
getables be fubject to fimilar laws of ex- 
citement as animal fibres are, a third 
clafs of manures may be formed, con- 
taining thofe which aét as a ftimulus te 
vegetation; a clafs, in all probability, of 
the higheft importance in agriculture. 
Neweafile, April 2. T. 
ES < 
Yo the Editor of tae Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
i you think the following obfervations 
relative to /arge farms, worthy of a 
place in your excellent Magazine, they 
are much at your fervice. 
Having, for many years, lived entirely 
in the country, during which time, I 
have paid no fmall attention to agricul- 
ture, I am not, perhaps, very incompe- 
tent to judge of the effects of large farms. 
When I fay large farms, I do not mean 
a fingle one or two of that defcription, 
but the prefent too prevalent fyftem of 
confolidating {mall farms into each other, 
till, at length, fcarcely any are ta be 
found of lefs than 200]. and great num- 
bers of 5ool: gool. or even roool. per ann. 
Few uainterefied people, who are con- 
verfant in thefe matters, will, I think, 
contradiét me, when I fay that r1eoo 
acres, divided among ten farmers, pro- 
dace more than if occupied by a fingle 
perfon. A man who rents but from 50 
to 100 or 150 acres, cannot afford to lofe 
any crops from negleét. He muft make 
every foot of land turn to account, and 
this, from the fize of his farm, he is 
enabled to do; but when 1000 acres 
compofe but one farm, the ogcupier is 
too opulent .to care fo much about this, 
even if he was able to do it, which is 
almoft impoifible. To every pact of his - 
extenfive premifes, he cannot pay a pro- 
per attention. The little farmer. feizes 
many opportunities, which he muft in 
part lofe; and he certainly has not fo 
much manure, in proportion, as the 
former has. When I fay, that a farm of 
1000 acres produces lefs grain by one fixth 
than if the fame had been divided among 
nine or ten farmers, I think, I rate the 
lofs at the loweft. ; 
aN Nothing, 
