Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-07-18
AGRICULTURAL.
THE EXPECTS OF LIME UPON THE
PRODUCTIONS OF THE SOIL

THE EFFECTS or LIME UPON THE
PRODUCTIONS OF THE SOIL.
Hfmprovss the quality Of almost every
cultivaEcd crop: upon land which has been
recently Eaed the hnl Of grain crops is thin-
ner, and the grain heavier and consequently
win yield more -four, which is said to be
much richer in gluten than that from unlim-
ed land,
Il has always been found to make much
greater improvementupons spring sown crops
than On winter wheat, and in England it has
been noticed that in very wet season the
wheat on lined land is not so much injured
by the superabundant moisture as that upon
unEmed land under the same or similar cir
cumstances
Potatoes raised on soil which has been re-
Gently lined are found to be much better
tasted and more free from damage from in
sects than upon virgin soil, though it has
not been proved that it nategially increases
the crop. have used it in both the caustic
and Stacked state, but prefer theformer. and
would apply it in an air-slacked form THAT
is, Stacked under cover) applied about the
time the last hoe-hairowing. strewn on
top Of the ground as nearly on the row as
possible; this consider to be prevention
ofrot, either total or partial, in the crop.
But have found it to produce similar eff
feet and doing much toward increasing the
crop, if, when fresh, it is mixed with halfits
bulk ofcommon coarse salt. Say one sack
Of salt to FIVE or six bushels of lime, and the
mixture allowed to remain under shelter for
two orthreemonths beforeit is used. When
used in this way at the rate of handful to
every three feet Of row, have found it to
increase the crop fully as much as the same
amount Of super-phosphate of approved
brand but imagine that it does SO at the
expense of the soil and future crops. IF
lime is strewn along the rows Of peas in the
garden after they are foot high, it will be
found to materially benefit the crop, both in
quantity and quality, and that the peas when
dried viii boil soft more readily,
Of all our crops fax seems to be the only
one to which the application oflime is not
attended with beneficial results When ap-
piled to this crop it has been found to di-
minish the strength of the fibre and do moth
ing to increase the amount of marketable
fax. In Belgium it is rule not to SOW fax
upon any land which has not been more than
seven years without lime.
Lime seems to have the power of altering
the natural produce of land, discouraging
the growth of some kinds of seed and en-
couraging the growth of others which have
long laid dormantin the soil Not long since
one Of my neighbors used lime in conjunction
with barnyard manure with his wheat; he
he obtained his grass seed from field on
which not mullen was to be seen, butwhen
the wheat was taken of, the soil was found
to be as well set with mullen as with timo-
thy and clover. Before plowing and for a
number of years no mulleins had been known
to go to seed on the field, and but few to
grow, probably not more thau usually spring
up in all our fields. Nowit is well known
that if lime is applied in excess, it viii en-
courage the growth ofthe red poppy and the
yellow COW wheat ta'esampyr,os pratense)
and it may be possible that it has the same
or simalar effect upon dormant mullen
seed, or it may be that the application OF
lime with the barnyard manure had some
thing to do with it.
Lime also hastens the maturity of all our
crops, especially those of grain, which are
brought forward from ten to twelve days
earlier when it is used by your friend. d.-Ge-
montoscn Telegraph.