Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1840-04-29
Agricultural.
From the New England Farmer.
ON Calcareous nIanures.

AAME@@A2wmm ON NaAcmreOMs MAmmress
Ma. CoLMAN-Sir-I have perused
with very great interest your weekly re-
ports Of the agricultural meetings during
the session ofthe legislature; and as most
Of the gentlemen that have spoken upon
the subject Of agriculture are practical
farners, their experience is Of great value
to the farming interest generally. They
pursue some different courses, and have
different views in the cultivation of thei,
corn and other crops, but upon the whole
il will have good effect, and excite TO in
curry and investigation MANY farmers
and stimulate them 10 step aside from the
old beaten track they and their fathers
have pursued, and initiate the courses
pointed out at your meetings. 8
Upon the use oflime, there seems to be
much difference Of opinion. In my own
vicinity, within four years past, there has
been much money expended IN the pur.
chase Of lime for agricultural purposes
atfrom % SO to 80 per cask for Thomas.
ton lime; it has been applied in various
ways and as far as my knowledge ex-
tends, no one can tell whether he has de.
rived any advantage from it or not. They
have not been careful TO make and note ex.
periments, but IN true Yankee style, guess
1t Is good as a manure. Some farmers
have applied II to their growing wheat,
and have raised good crops, which was
mostl y attributed TO the lime: others have
grown equally as large without it. Dr.
Jackson, believe;thinks it of great i'm
portance in agriculture. DR.. Dana says !;
a bushel Of ashes is equal to cask Of
lime" B. V. French, Esq, in his re
marks upon the cultivation of wheat, al
the eighth agricultural meeting, stated tha
ne used $50 bushels lime per acre; his
own experience was unfavorable to it, and
some others had not derived much if any
advantage from It's use. So also the Berk.
shire marls have not proved SO beneficial
as was anticipated, from the great amour,
OF carbonate of lime they contain.
have lately had the perusal of work
on the calcareous manures of Virginia, by
T.. huthn, Esq, who after many years
experience, and with the most careful. ac-
curate and numerous experiments has
proved. | think beyond all question, their
great value in agriculture; and as the shell
marls OF Virginia, the Berkshire marls
and the lime from the State of Maine, are
almost the same thing, that is, the carbon
ate Ut lime. can conceive of no possible
reason why lime and mari may not be as
useful and as profhbly employed in Mas
sachuseIts as IN Europe or Virginia. or
New Jersey. But think every farmer
who purposes to use lime or mari, should
procure Rufin's Essay on Calcareous
Mannres. and carefully peruse and study
the work, which will enable him 10 apply
his labor & means more undersiandingly.
There Is, without doubt, many soils upon
which lime would be OF but little or M use,
but ifany reliance isto placed upon chem.
istry, itmust be of much use upon soils con-
tnining oxide of iron and sulphur as the
lime will combine with the sulphats ofthe
iron, and form the sulphate of lime, or
gypsum. 1t may be equally useful upon
acid soils, or such as grow sorrel and pine
luxuriantIy. B.
March 30th, 1910.