American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1867-01-09
farmera 1epartmen.
Patent Office Report, 1856.
Caleareous Manures.
B1-CARBoNATE OF LIME.
Coattnue91

| tue ioNtF part oI tue Kiln (tnat below
the level of the ire>place) is occupied by
lime already burned and as this lime is
intensely hot, when, on portion of lime
being removed from below, it descends
into this part of the kiln, and as the al
in the kiln, to which it communicates its
heat, must rise upward in consequence
of its being heated, and pass off through
the opening at the top of the kiln, this
lime in cooling, by this contrivance, is
made to assist in heating the fresh por-
tion of cold limestone with which the
kiln is charged. To facilitate this COM
munication of heat from the red hot line
just burned to the limestone above, in the
upper part of the kiln, gentle draft of
air through the kiln, from the bottom to
the top of it, must be established, which
is done by leaving an opening in the
door below, by which The cold air from
without. may be suffered to enter the kiln
This opening (Which should be furnish
ed with register of some kiId or other)
must be very small otherwise, it will
occasion too strong draft of cold air u-
to the kiln, and do more harm than good;
and it will probably be found to be best
to close it entirely, after the lime in the
lower part of the kiln has parted with a
certain proportion of its heat.
The preceding description gives a gem
eral idea of the manner in which this
kiln is made to operate while in the act
of calcination. The height of the kiln
is Is feet, its internal diameter below, 2
feet and above, 8 inches. In order more
effectually to confne the heat, its walls,
which are of bricks and very thin, are
double, and the cavity between them is
filled with dry weod ashes. To give great
er strength to the fabric, these two walls
are connected in d. ferent places by hori-
zontal layers Of bricks whck unite them
firmly.
The following is a description of anoth>
er kiln of approved construction, suita-
BILE for burning lime with coal, or other
dry, smolelsass fuel. 1t is supposed to be
built at the side of a bank or cliff, of
ciseular form within, 32 feet high from
the iron grating over the pits, 3 feet in
diameter at the top, aud I feet across,
near the middle, at point Is feet above
the grating. The walls are designed to
be built of stone, from 8 to o6 feet thick,
and lined with bricks. Below the shaft
or hollow of the kiln, are two arches or
pits, each 3 feet wide and feet high, d.
vided by partition wall, Is inches thick,
extending up the shaft l9 feet. About
Is inches from each arch, or pit, is an
oven, say 2! feet square. where coal is
used for fuel, and somewhat deeper,
where wood is employed, communicating
with the shafts BY narrow hues. Below
the shafts, are two movable iron CRATES
for dragging out the lime after it is
burned. The ovens, as we'll as the arches
under the shaft, are provided with iron
doors, which are to be closed whenever it
is desired to stop the draft. An iron cap,
or cover, is also provided to be placed
over the top Of the kiln, to prevent the
escape of more heat than is necessary to
keep up the combustion of the fuel
This CAP is also furnished with damper,
or valve, for regulating the draft.
In kiln like this, it is obvious that
the limestone can be we'll burned, with a
comparatively small amount of fuel, in
winter as we'll as in summer, and that the
farmer or others can be supplied with
lime, at any time, without extinguishing
the FIRE. All this isnecessary to be done
is, to supply the broken limestone. and
fhe fuel at the top of the kiln, and rake
out the burned lime through the iron
CRATE, or opening at the bottom, as fast
as occasion may require. In case it may
be necessary to check the burning for a
time, nothing more need be done than to
close the iron doors at The bottom of the
kiln, and the cover, o. cap, at the top,
when the fire may be kept alive for four
or FIVE days.
" hen the kiln is to be filed, the lime.
stone should be broken into pieces about
the size of mans fist, and laid in alter
nate layers with the coal, usually in the
proportion of three ofthe former to one
of the latter; but as limestones vary
much in their character, the proper guam.
tity of fuel can only be regulated by
trial. The coal should not be placed near
er the lining of the kiln .han or inch
es, in order that the bricks may not melt
uor burn.
When ly-burned lime is taken from
the Kiln, it has strong tendency to
.'drnk in and combine with water
Hence, when exposed to the atmosphere,
or cove ed over with sods in shallow