as have occurred to myfelf in the course of a pretty extenfive experience of this ma

nure.

$ 19.

It is common to hear those who have had little experience of lime, as a manure, recommend very great caution, left too great a quantity be employed, for fear of burning the foil, as they exprefs it. This idea of burning has been evidently adopted from what is experienced by applying cauftic lime to other bodies in large quantities, as it often corrodes and fhrivels them up, and produces other effects which greatly refemble thofe of fire: But it cannot produce any fuch effects, unless there are végetables growing upon it at the time. In that cafe, the vegetables might indeed be corroded by the lime, if rain fhould fall immeHhh diately

diately after it was fpread, when newly flaked. But, as it lofes this fiery corrofive power in a few days after it is spread, nothing of that kind can be expected to happen to the foil. Accordingly, we never hear of crops being burnt up with too great a quantity of lime, in those countries where it has long been used as a common manure -although it is there often employed in much larger quantities than in other places where it is more rare.

I myself have had the experience of lime in all proportions, from one hundred to above seven hundred bufhels to the acre, upon a great variety of foils, and have always found that its effect in promoting the fertility of the foil has been in proportion to the quantity employed-other circumstances being alike.

The expence in most cafes prevents farmers from employing this manure in greater quantities than those above mentioned;

but

but accidental circumftances clearly fhow, that, if it were applied in much larger quantities, the effect would only be to promote the luxuriance of the crop in a higher degree,

$ 19.

A gentleman of my acquaintance, in whose veracity I perfectly confide, happening to be from home when a large field was limed,and having no occafion for the whole quantity of lime that had been brought for that purpose, and laid down in one corner of the field, his fervants, without driving it away, mixed what remained with the foil, altho' the lime lay there about four inches thick over the whole furface. The effect was,

that, for many years afterwards, the grain was fo immoderately luxuriant, that it fell over, and rotted before it came to the ear.

-After

-After

many years, this luxuriance abated a little, fo as to allow the grain to ripen ;— but it was always much more luxuriant than any other part of the field.

An accidental experiment, nearly fimilar to this, fell under my own observation. It happened that the fervants of another farmer laid, by mistake, a few heaps of lime upon a grass-field that he did not intend fhould be broken up at the time.-The miftake was foon discovered, and no more lime was laid down at that place; and the few heaps (about a bufhel in each,) were allowed to lie neglected without being fpread.-The field was paftured upon for feven or eight years after that, before it was converted into tillage; and the heaps were by that time become so flat, and so far funk into the ground, that they could hardly be difcovered,

Before it was ploughed up, the whole of the field was limed, and this part of it equally

fo

so with the reft; nor were the old heaps touched till the plough went thro' them in tilling the field, when the lime was there turned up, almost without any mixture of foil. The confequence was, that, at every one of these heaps, a tuft of corn fprung up with fuch luxuriance as to be entirely rotted before harveft; and, for many years afterwards, thefe tufts could be diftinguished from the other parts of the field, at a very great diftance, like fo many buttons on a coat ;and perhaps continue fo to this day.

From thefe experiments, as well as other confiderations that will afterwards occur,there feems to be reafon to conclude, that, on foils that do not naturally abound with chalk, or other calcareous matter, there is lefs danger in giving too much lime than in applying too little ;-except in those cases where an over luxuriance is dreaded.

§ 20.