Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1865-02-25
AGRICULTURAL.
LIME AS a MANURE.


It has been asserted by Professor John.
stone, OF England, that lime directly affords
food to plants. believe, however, its chief
agency is in prcpariAg tEat food from crude.
insuluble and even poisonous substances ::
thus oXitic and tannic acids arising from de-
composing vegetable matter of sorrels and
the bark of other plants, is neutralizeG by
lime, while lime also prenotes the produc-
tion of nitric acid, which naturally occurs or
is generated in the soil us well as IL the
atmosphere, and which is Sc important to
vegetable life. The lands that will bear the
heaviest lining, and continue for years to
reward the f.!gmcr literally for his outlay,
are those richest in humus or in plain terms
are possessed of the greatest abundance of
the fhrOus parts tplaEts Of former periods,
already dccaycd or now undergoing decay
in the soil while those possessing little or
no humus should receive liberal allowance
of dcCavcu animal and vegetable matter in
the form of harnyard manure, before they
are treated with much or any lime; and even
thus the lime should not be applied in less
than six or twelve months, or until the 1gr-
ure is thoroughly Incorporated with the ssil.
Even on the best lands we should be cauti.
cES in the use of this noble fertilizer; 20. the
lands richest in humus are cusily exhausted
or severely injured Ivy over cropping after
too heavy Inning. The exhaustion here is
brought about by the excess of line render
ing too rapidly available the latent nutriJivc
properties of the soil which with judicious
treatment would have sustained the land in
healthy and fertile condition for many
years. suppose this excess has been COM
mitted-the farmer at first reioiccs as he
views his barn and his corncrib and granrry.
overiowing with the produce Of his lands
but in few yesrS he sees his crOps diminish,
and then he thinks to stimulate his fields to
renewed productiycness by another heavy
coat of lime he soon finds, however, to. his
sorrow how mistaken has been his policy.
His land no longer contains those ingrcdi-
ents which it was the oHite CT lime to pre-
pare as food fer his plants. his only re-
source in this contingency is deep plowing
and heavy manurng to restore TO the soil
what he has 81 rashly taken from it. Pre-
yention, however, is better than cure, and
unless the quality et the land is well under
stood it may be well to apply the lime more
sparingly and To repeat it at shorter inter
vas. Or the farmer may at little expense
and trouble have his soil snalyzy-i ascertain
what salts are deficient and then tfeat the
land accordingly: for it must be apparent to
every one that one saline manure containing
no more than two ~ three Of the elements
out ot the ten, or fifteen, or seventeen, which
are found in most cultivated plants, can be
upon 20 supply whatever may be-
wanting to restore the land to supply its
former condition.
With respect 10 the sulphatc of lime or
gypsum, It's action appears to he more re
stricteG than that of the carbonate, both as
to the number of plaRts to which ii may be
advantageously applied, and as 10 its action
GR the growth of the plants; that is to say,
that while lime seems to increase the size
and weight ot' the seed as well as the her,
baceous parts of the plant, plaster adds vi
gOr to the growth only of the leaves and
stesmsi and this is more particularly the
case in regard ts the cereals. This tact
seems to have been satisfactorily established
in France. 4 warm discussion having arisen
in the neighborhood of Paris as to the value
of plaster as a manure, the government
thought proper to refer the question to the
ROYAL Central Agricp!tural Society. The
society selected some forty or fifty farmers,
men OF more or less education and intell-
gence, who had been personally occupied in
agriculture for twenty years and to each of
I hem they addressed series of questions.
The result of the information thus collected
was reported 10 the society by NJ Bose.
few ot the questions were as folloes;
lst. Does plaster act favorable on artificial
OF forty three opinions given,