The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1847-10-07
From the Maine Farmer,
Lime in Apple Trees.

Our friend Buckninster, of the Dlassachu-
sett5 Pioughman, thinksthat it is OF no use
10 apply lime to land unless it be for the pur-
pose of neutralizing, or rather Of decompo5ng
aud changing the chemical character OF the
salts Of iron. We have no doubt that lime IS
ttten used where it is not needed; and we
also are quite sure that none of us know all
the ,ws which regulate the varied decompo-
etions and recompositions that take place
in soils when lime as we'll as other mineral
matters are applied. There is no sort OF
doubt indeed it has often been demonstfatcu'
that lane has had Il very marked erect on
soils where salts ofiron did not predomlnate-
that il often exhibits decided beneficial action
in soils that may be designated limestone soils.
1--we auaIyse many OF the plants and products
ot the vegetable kingdom, we find that lime
is a very important part OF them. whence
comes it? As far as we can judge, from our
present knowledge, it must come from the de-
nosit oft in the soil, or from manures that
have been applied and that contain more or
less of it, Chemists have found that the apple
tree, both in its wood aud its bark, contains a
larlge amount OF lime-that in one hundred
mounds of the mineral matter Of the bark, nifty
one of them are lime. In the heart wood
tbirtv-six per cent, and in the sap wood eIgh-
teen and a half per cent is lime-and men
who are not chemist have discovered that the
application of lime around an apple tree has
often caused fruitfuIness where banennoss
predominated before.
We were led to these remarks by reading
a letter in the September number OF the
Gcnesce Farmer from j. w. Bisscll, nur-
Feryman in Rochester, New York, to DR. Lee,
Editor of said paper, and an excellent analyt-
zeal chemist 1t seems that part of his soil
was very congenial to the apple tree, and
part was very unsuitable, and that on this last
part he lost quite large number OF young
choice trees that he set out DR.. Lee analysed
the soil of this last named portion ofbis nur-
serv, and found that it lacked lime, while the
other portion contained it and such is the
perfection to which these chemical manipula-
tons have been carried, that, DR.. L. says that
there is no difficulty, when the soil contains
only one part in a hundred thousand it can
be separated and weighed. The following is
the extract which we propose to make from
Mr. Bissell's letter:
"You do not overrate the importance to
the agriculturist of having correct analyses OF
the soil he cultvates, as | can testify from ex-
perience. Had my different fields been an
alyzed for the past three years, and manfred
with reference to the crops to be grown there
on, supplying, instead of stable manure, those
Inorganic substances that were needed, 1t
would have been hundreds, fnot thousands OF
dollars in my pocket" -,
Mr.. Bissel is so thoroughly impressed with
the Importance of such analyses, that he au
thorises DR.. Lee, to draw upon him for five
hundred dollars, towards establishing an agrl-
cultural school, where the arts and sciences
pertaining to agriculture should be taught IL
the manner they ought.