Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-07-02
ri TOBACCO sNARhy LAND JULY 2, 1915

the winters frosts and SHOWS to dis
solve and incorporate it with the soil.
| Line.-This, next to the proper
draining (when necessary: for even
lime will not enable us to dispense
with IT'D and deep tillage, consider
the most certain and permanent agent
lin .renovating worn-out lands" of any
Iother substance with which | am ac-
lquainted; whether mineral, animal, or
Vegetable; and when it can be obtain
ed at reasonable cost, even with some
miles hauling in addition, it is gener-
ally to be preferred, if only one kind
of .sbought manure" is to besused,, It
may however be usss. freely inscon-
! junction; With u! other mallpxes, and
Iwstfr ~ 5iIsiss fssiii,,a.
| judgment. sseas.
After many years experience in the
use of lime, would advise in all cases
where it can be accomplished, to spread
on 1.-THE surface from l to 3 or 4 years,
before the land is broken up. The effect
of a single winters frosts and rains,
will more effectually dissolve and
bring it into action, and benefit the
succeeding crop, as also the land itself,
than is attained in a longer period, by
ploughing it in as soon as applied
In this way also, a much larger quaint
| ity may be safely applied to the same
land at single dressing. As there is
no loss to lime from atmospheric influ-
ence, it should be kept near the sur
face: and the proper quantity to use to
the best advantage, can only be deter
mined by the price, aud the state the
land may be in, at the time. With a
good sod of grass roots to receive it,
100 or even $50 bushels to the acre,
wiH do no harm: but ON stiff clays,
with little soil or mould on the SUR
face, so bushels would be very liberal
application as first dressing, if put
ON Immediately after ploughing. It
would be better to apply less quaint
ity ut first, and renew it as soon as an
increased growth of vegetation could
be obtained.
When lime is applied in very large
quantities, and Immediately incorpo-
rated with poor soil, having little or
no vegetable matter in it, the effect is
to combine with the silicious particles,
-abounding more or less in all clay
soils-and form hard compact masses,
that are not separated by years of af-
ter tillage. This mode, therefore, to
say the least, is like .burying the
talents" for SO much capital lies DOR
mant, and neither benefits the farmer
or his land. Twenty-Five or thirty
bushels as u first application, particu-
larly if aided by even light dressing
of vegetable manure, will make much
quicker return f0fsfhe outiay.
As to the modus e1eraadi of lime
much has been written; and various,
if not conflicting theories put forth J;
nor do all agree AS to the most judi
cious mode of application.
consider it altogether unnecessary
here, to attempt any explanation Of
the chemical changes produced in the
soil by its use, or to give my own opin-
ion on the. subject, though formed af-
ter careful observation and from years
experience. To the inexperienced,
however, it is of much more import
ance to be informed how to use it to
the best advantage. And as previously
remarked, it is of still less consequence,
how, or rhen applied, so THAT 1T is
DONE.
Lime will act very beneficially, as |
know from experience, on stiff tena-
cious clays, and so near state of ster-
tility, as scarcely to reproduce the
seed sown on them. But if used under
such circumstances, and without the
aid of any kind of manure, considera-
BILE time must elapse before much am
elioration Of the soil need be expected.
Theory without practice, does not
often carry much weight with it; and
on the mind of the farmer, generally
speaking, it acts with less force per-
haps than with most other classes in
the community; for unless an array of
facts, or good evidence, is adduced to
inspire confidence, he is slow to
change; the more so, when he knows
that even a partial failure in single
crop, from experimenting, will be
sensibly felt in his slender income,
and perhaps for year to come. This
feeling, to certain extent at least, is
all right and proper; for experiments,
to test any new theory, are best under
taken on a limited scale; time may be
lost thereby, but money may be saued la
the end.
will now briefly give some account
Of tho fas.zatiaal- opesatiea -ef @aaayr
theory. My first application Of
lime to any extent, was 200 bushels,
mostly air slaked, hauled, 6 miles, and
applied to acres; just broken up for
a corn crop, and narrowed in. This
portion of the field particularly, was so
thoroughly exhausted by previous bad
management, that the yield in corn
was only some or bushels to the
acre; nor was the crop sensibly in
creased by the lime. AS the main OBJ
ject in cultivation was to set the field
in grass, the corn was followed by a
crop of small grain, and liberal sup
ply of clover and timothy seed, and
plaster: the latter producing no visi-
BILE effect whatever; and nearly all the
grass seed perished, leaving the sur
face as bare as before. But before the
field again came in course for cultiva-
ton, the good effect of the lime was so
evident by the growth of white clover
"a 'aeac variety in that vicinity-that
| was encouraged to lime the whole
field containing about IL acres, and
also including this acres; put on as
before, just after breaking up for
corn. The crop on this portion, was
increased fully 5 to 6 fold, over that
adjoining, and but recently lined;
thus literally paying all expenses, and
has continual ever since 70 nroduca