Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1851-06-26
tFrom the Lancaster Farm Journal
Lime.

lor land, mas long been known, and IN many
parts otthe country has been brought to great
perfection. There is, however, great diff
Guilty in the practical use of this valuable ma
nure, as no universal rule can be adopted for
its application. For instance, the quantity
must be graduated, according to the charac-
ter of the soil and the neglect of this fact
alone has produced the great Difficulty
Deep soil, filled with vegetable 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 much larger proportion than dry
The only safe rule to adopt is, for every man
to experiment for himself, and after under
standing fully the nature of lime and the char
acter of his soil, he cannot 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-they did not know how to use
/ it.
have tried upon my land, for several
years, various experiments, and have con-
stantly became wiser in the mode of using it.
| have never failed to find that my land was
most materially benefited by it, and | feel
! great confidence In recommending it to 9TH
ers. | shall proceed, very briefly, to give
my views of the character and efficacy of
/ lime as as a manure | will state in the first
place, that the use of this manure is so imper-
tectly understood, as well as the Office which
1t performs, that it is proper to place it in
practical FORM
i Lime forms a constituent part of some
grains, such as wheat and rye, as is ascer-
tanned by chemical analysis-and where no
lime exist in the soil, the crops become sick
ly and imperfect But in most vegetables it
is mere decomposer of the vegetable matter,
in the soil, furnishing by this means con-
stant 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 impregna-
ted. | have tested this in various ways, and
on variety of soils, and every experiment
confirms It's truth. III were to put one hun
dred bushels of lime upon an acre of poor soil,
| am certain | should raise no crop for two
or three years, for the simple reason that
there would not be sufficient vegetable mat
ter for the lime to act upon, and to use COM
mon expression it would burn the land
Before it could be available, it would be ne
cessary 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 abundance
Twenty or thirty bushels to the acre, for the
first dressing, is sufficient 1t plainly fol-
|, lows from what has been said, that differ
ent soil, deeply impregnated with vegetable
mould, will bear much larger quantity of
lime For such land, 100 bushels to the acre
is not large quantity. | would not exceed
that quantity upon any land, but for the first
dressing would graduate it from 20 to Zoe,
according to the nature Of the soil
Now as to the mode of its application
Generally, it is put upon a ploughed field III
heaps, and spread, and afterwards ploughed
under. regard this as most pernicious
mode OF lining. In the first place, the spots
where the heaps are, receive too large guam
tity, and in the next place by ploughing it un-
der, the lime gets too deep to act successfully
upon the vegetable matter in the soil-conse-
quenty its beneficial effect is lost.-Lime is
heavy, and its tendency is to sink. The
great object is to keep it as near the surface
. as possible.
For several years have adopted the meth
cd of spreading it upon the sod, and this fur
nishes the most successful mode of renova-
ting 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 the lime sinks into
the spongy sod, and decomposes all dead veg
; etable matters, which at the same time nour-
ishes the roots of the grass and causes the
badges to spring up with extraordinary vig-
or. | have had old meadows with double
their usual quantity of hay the first year af-
ter this process.
Then again, when you desire to plough
the same meadow, the lime having sunk into
the sod is still upon the surface, and ready to
act as decomposer of the sod and manure,
in case the land should require it. If the
ground should be left in meadow, it will be
found that successive crops Of grass will be
greatly increased.
LUTHER KIDDER.
WilkesbGrre, April, 1851.