The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1849-03-03
Renovation Of Worl ont Lands.


vaioa of worn-ou, lands. The follow ing
is an ext ract:
LIME-This, next 10 proper draining
(when necessary, for even lime will en-
enable US 10 dispense with iD and deep ill
lage, consider the most certain and perm.
anent agent in Sin renovating worn out
landsn Of any substance with which am
acquainted, whether mineral, animal Or VEG
e,able and when itcan be obtained at a
reasonable cost, even with some miles
hauling in addition, it is generally TO be pre-
ferred if only one kind of "bought man.
ure' is 10 be used. I, may, however; be
used freely in conjunction with al! other
mannres and with decided advantage, il
done with judgement.
After many years experience in the use
Of lime, l would advise in all cases where
it could be accomplished, 10 spread il on
the surface from one to three or four years
before the land is broken up. The effect
OF single Winters frosts and rains will
more eiIectually dissolve and bring it into
ac lion, and benefit the succeeding crop, as
also the land itself, than is attained IN a lon
ger period by ploughing ii as soon as ap-
piled Ia this way also, much larger quan
lily may be safely applied TO the same and
at single dressing. A there is no loss 10
lime from atmospheric influence, it should
be kept near the surface, and the proper
quantity 10 use, TO the best advantage, can
only be determined by the price, and the
state the land may be in at The present
Time. With good sod of grass root 10 re-
ceIve ii, one hundred, or even one hundred
and fifty bushels 10 the acre will do no harm
bu, on stiff clays, with little soil or mould
on the surface, fifty bushels would be a yer
y liberal application as first dressing, il
put on Immediately aEer ploughing. 1t
would be better TO apply less quantity at
first, and renew it as soon as an increased
growth of vegetation could be obtained.
When lime is applied in very large guam
titles and Immediately incorporated with a
poor soil, having Little or no vegetable mat
ter in it, the effect is to combine with the
silicious particles, Astounding more Or less
in all clay soils, and form hard compact
masses; tia, are not separated by years Of
alter tillage. This mode therefore, TO say
the least, Is like "burying the talent" for
so much capital lies dormant, and neither
benefits the farmer nor his land. Twenty
five or thirty bushels as first application,
particular y if aided by a light dress ing of
vegetable manure, will make much quick
er judicions mode ofapplication.
AS TO the moduS opcrandi of lime much
had been written, and various, if not con-
tiictng theories put forth; nor do all agree
as TO Inc most judicious mode Of applica-
ton.
consider it altogether unnecessary here
10 attempt any explanation OF The chenica
changes produced in the sell by its use, or
10 give my own opinion on the subject,
though formed after careful observation and
from yeats experience. To The inexperen
Ced, however, ii is of much more import
auce 10 be uniformed how TO use it 10 the
best advantage. And, as previously remar
Ike d, it is of still less con sequence how or
when applied. so that 1t is done.
Lime will act beneiicially, as I know
from experience, on stiff tenacious clays,
aud 80 near a state Of iity as scarcely TO
reproduce that seed sown on them. But if
used under sncl! circumstances, and without
the aid of any kind Of making ofmanure,
considerable time must elapse before much
amelioration of the soil need be expect
ed.
Theory without practice does not often
carry much weight it; and on the mind of
The farmer, generally speaking, ii acts with
less force perhaps than with mos other
classes in the community; ;or unless an ar
raw OF facts, or good evidence, is adduced
IT, inspire confidence, he is slow to change
the more so when he knows that even par
ial faiinre in single crop trom experiment
ing will be sensihy felt in lis slender in
come, and perhaps for year 10 come.
This feeling, 10 a certain extent, AT least, is
all right and proper; for experiments, TO test
any new theory, are best undertaken on a
limited scale. time may be lost thereby, but
money saved in the end.
I will now briefly give some account of
the practical operation of my theory. My
first application of lime to any extent, was
200 bushels, mostly air-slack, hauled six
miles, aad applied 10 four acres. jus, bro
ken up for crop aud narrowed in. This
portion of the field particularly, was so tho
roughly exhausted by previous bad man
agement that the yield of com was only
some five or six bushels TO the acre; nor
was the crop sensibly increased by the lime.
AS the main object in cultivation was to sci
the field in grass, the corn was followed by
crop DISMAL grain and liberal supply
of clover and timothy seed and plaster =
the latter producing no visible Objects what
ever and nearly all the grass seed perish
ed, leaving the su,face as bare as before.
Bat he fore the field again came in course
OF cultivation, the good effect of The lime
was so evident by he growth OF white clio