American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1867-01-16

Lime is not merely base, but ve,g
strong base, and can therefore even ex-
tract from the weaker bases occurring in
the soil the acids with which they are al
ready combined. Hence, it acts with ad-
vantage in those cases where weaker ha-
ses are SUCH as become soluble by com
bihation with acids, and are in this condl-
tion capable Of ofinterferlngwith the growth
of plants. OF this kind especially are
the brses which originate from. the ler-
ruginous particles present in all soils COY
cred with water, such as are situated IN
low lands excluded from the access OF att
mospheric air by tenacious covering.
Humic and carbonic acids produced in
such places render the PARTICLES Of prot
oxyd of iron soluble, and these again
cause the soil to become sterile or less
fertile, just like the water which we see
in ferruginous springs flowing from de-
posits of Ignite or. peat On this account
fresh, black mud from the ponds or akes
always acts injurijusly upon. fields and
meadows the first, year; hencel the dead
subsoii, when mixed at once with the
surface soil, so often causes diminution
of fertility for one or more years. In like
manner, in soil which contains much
pyrites, the oxygenation, or weathering,
of the ground may readily produce so
much soluble salt of iron (green vitriol,
or sulphate of iron) as to disturb the
growth of plants. 1u all these cases,
lime is an excellent means of rendering
the iron insoluble, and, at the same time,
Of giving it tendency to absorb oxygen
from the air more rapidly and abundant>
ly, whereby the black prot.oxyd of iron
is changed into brown ger-oxyd, Gron-
rust,) which no longer, acts iniuriously
upen vegetation.
Caustic or quicklime, as its name in
dicates, attacks the skin of the hand and
dissolves it in washing, in the same way
as potash or soda lye, and has a similar
action upon other animal and vegetable
substances, as many farmers, perhaps,
have noticed on the sacks in which they
have kept lime, which soon become rot>
ten and soft When lime is mixed with
the soil, it acts in this decomposiag and
diSSOt0ing manner upon roots, leaves straw
and other parts of vegetables, as also
upon organic constituents of the soiE
which are already partially converted
into humus 1t hastens the decomposi-
tion Of those substances which are often
very slow and disinclined to fermentation
in heavy soils, not freely admitting at
mospheric air to greater activity; that
is, to a more rapid fermentation, putre>
faction, and decay. whereby they are
decomposed linto carbonic aci and ans
monial which arc theu absorbed by the
roots of the living plants as the most
important of all their food The action
which lime exerts in this way clearly
agrees in appearance with that produced
by direct fertilizers, such as stable man
ure, guano, &c. But there is this great
difference between the two The lime
does not work with its own material, but
at the expense of other matter, namely,
at that of the land or OF its strength,
while the direct manures act with their
own power. 1t is, there fore, self,evident
that the latter enrich the soil, while lime
renders it poorer. The universal effects
of this Independent, anuiced lining or
marling of land, which has been estab-
lished by practice in Europe, as well as
in many other parts of this country; is
obvious nor only by the well>known Ger
man saying Rich father, poor children
but also by the still more precisely ox>
pressed maxim,
"Much lime and no manure,
Make both farm and farmer poor"
Besides, on heavy, inactive soils, lime
may be expected to produce good effects
by its decomposing and dissoiving power
in all cases where the soil is rich in or.
ganic remains, especially when the air
has not had free access to it; consequent
ly, on new ground, reclaimed from forest,
broken>nn maadnws and nnstnrn lanA