Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1851-07-09
The Farmer.
Prom the Psnnsylvan.s Hsra JsasAA.
Lime.

The Use OF Lime as fertili1ing SUBJ
stance for land, has long been known, and
in many parts Of the country has bsen
brought to great perfection. There Is,
however, great difficulty in the practical
use of this valuable manure, a. no univer-
sal rule can be adopted for its application
For instance, the quantity must be gradu-
ated according to the character of the soil, !,
and the neglect Of this fact alone has caused
this difficulty. Deep soil, filed with veg
etable matter, will take three times more
lime than should be applied to thin soil,
containing much more limited quantity.
Then again, wet land will bear q much
larger proportion than dry. The only safe
rule to adopt Is, for every man to expert.
ment for himself, and after understanding
fully the nature Of lime and the character
Of his soil, he can not go astray. 1t Is
very common to hear farmers, who have
been induced to use lime, say that their
land has received no benefit from it. The
problem is easily solved-,hey did not
know how to use it.
have tried upon my land, for several
years, various experiments, and have con-
stantly become wiser in the mode of using
it. l have never failed to find that ny
land was most materially benefited by it,
I a nd / 4aal
ing it to others. l shall proceed, very
briefly, to give my views Of the character
and efficacy of lime as manure. I will
state in the first place, that the use of this
manure is so imperfectly understood, a.
well as the office which it performs, that it
is proper to place it in PRACTICAL form.
I Lime forms constituent part of some
grains, such as wheat and rye, as is ascer-
tained by chemical analysis and where
no lime exists in the soil, the crop becomes
sickly and imperfect. But in most vege-
tables 1t is mere decomposer Of the vege-
table matter in the soil, furnishing BY this
means a constant nutriment to the plant.
This at once explains the reason, why light
soil, containing but little vegetable matter,
requires less lime than that which is more
strongly impregnated. have tested this
in various ways, and on variety of soils,
and every experiment confirms its truth.
If were to put one hundred bushels of
lime upon an acre of poor soil, ! am cer-
tain should raise no crop for two or three
years, for the simple reason that there
would not be sufficient matter for the lime
to act upon, and to use a common express
Ion 1t would burn the land Before it
could be available, it would be necessary
for the lime to become neutralized in the
soil, and the additional aid Of, successive
vegetation, such as might grow, to remedy
the difficulty. After this process shall
have taken place, it will produce in abun-
dance. Twenty or thirty bushels to the
acre, for the first dressing, is sufficient
1t plainly follows from what has been
said, that different soil, deeply impreg-
mated with vegetable mould, will bear a
much larger quantity Of lime. For such
land, one hundred bushels to the acre is
not large quantity. 1 would not exceed
that quantity upon any land, but for the
first dressing would graduate it from TWEEN.
ty to one hundred, according to the nature
of the soil.
Now as to the mode of its application.
Generally, it is put upon ploughed iald
in heaps, and spread, and Afterwards
ploughe d under. regard this as most
pernicious mode Of lining. In the first
place, the spots where the heaps are, re-
ceive too large aquantity and in the ne1s
place, by ploughing it under, the lime gets
too deep to act succe,sively upon the vegc.
table matter in the soil-conseauently its
beneficial effect is lost. Lime Is heavy.
and its tendency is to sink. The great OBJ
ject is to keep it as near the surface as
possible. For several years have adopt
ed the method Of spreading it upon the
sod, and this furnishes the most successful
mode of renovating an old meadow. 1t is
spread from the wagon, and it requires but
little experience to graduate the quantity
according to your wish. In short time
lhe lime sinks into the spuny sod, and
aecompses all dead vegetable matter, which
1t the same time nourishes the roots of thu
srass and causes the blades to spring mp
With extraordinary vigor. / have had old
meadows double their usual quantity Of
lay the first year after this process.
Then again, when You desire to plough
he same meadow, the Eme having sunk
nto the sod is still upon the surface, and
eady to act as 8 decomposer Of the sod.
nd manure in case the lsnd should 10
uire it. If the ground should bs jsn in
MEADOW, it will be found that successive
rops Of grass viii be greatly increased.
I might eYtnnd thia eornnpunsaa<ins a. .