" Lime has been mixed previously with the peat ; but the compost prepared with that mixture, or with the simple peat, seemed to produce equally good crops. All the land, however, that it has been tried on, has been limed more or less within these twenty-fiv years.
rich coarse earth, which is frequently found on the sun-face of peat, is too heavy to be admitted into this compost ; but it makes an excellent top-dressing, if previously mixed and turned over with lime.
" Peat, prepared with lime alone, hat: not been found to answer as a good manure. In one instance, viz. on a bit of fallow, with wheat, it was manifestly per nicious." Of Lime.
Lime has been regarded by some as a manure, by others as a stimulus, which can only be profitably ap plied where the soil possesses sonic dormant principle of fertility that needs to be roused into action. In tact, the in)thes operandi of lime is imperfectly understood, though the greater part of agriculturists seem pretty well acquainted with its effects. is sufficiently un derstood, that laud which has been long in grass, contains much vegetable matter, and that the trouble and ex pense of liming it will be amply repaid to the cultivator ; but time propriety of applying lime on old arable lands has been questioned, and With much justice, by the most part of practical agriculturists, and their doubts on that head are confirmed by the fullest experience. If lime were a manure, then it would be a noble subs,ance for enriching and restoring fertility to lands that were worn out by a succession of corn crops ; but as worn out land is not restored to fertility by the applicznion ol lime, we are warranted to rank it in a different class, or, to speak more correctly, as an article calculated to bring certain principles into action, which were preciously possessed by the -oil. This conclusion is sanctioned by experience ; and experience is a far better guide than the most plau sible theory.
Lime has been used with very great success in every part of Great Britain, though it is evident that time gros sest errors have been committed in the after manage muct of land to at hie h lime has been applied ; and, what is worse, that the extent of these errors was in direct proportion to the effect produced upon the soil by the ap pin ation. This remark applies more to the former
state of husbandry than to the present practice, because the former rule was to crop so long as the earth would make a good return, without considering that a field, so treated, was not to be recovered or fora century afterwards. Indeed, when lime duly operates, the whole powers of the soil are put in a state of requisition, and may be for ced to act till time very soul of vegetation is extracted. It is scarcely practicable to restore fertility to land, even of the best natural quality, winch has been thus abused ; at least a considc rabie period must elapse before it can be restored to its original fertility ; but thin moorish soils, after being exhausted by lime, are not to be restored. To lime them a second time, is not only a useless expen diture of labour and money, but also productive of se rious mischief. Soils of this description, after a second liming., are apt to singe and burn the grain that is sown upon them, and even when duoged. not to make such a return as would have been rendered under different cir ri It is a iiiiiirid' matter to say at what period the use of lime was fir st haroduced into Britain ; but as it was well known to the Romans, there is good reason to believe, I!.'t by this ingenious p..ople, the use of it was first into practice in this island. Be that as it n,ay, mineral, after wide rgoing the process of calcination, h lolo4 been a i.•fl by British husbanchnen as a stimu Itas to tl e soil, and, in cooseron nee of such an applica tion luxuriaat crops LUC been produced, even upon Ili apparently of infer for quality, and which would hate fielded crops of trifling value, had this auxiliary been withheld. In fact, the majority of soils cannot be cultivated with advantage till they are dressed with lhne ; and whether this beneficial ellect shall be con sidered as an alterative, or as a stimulant, or as a manure, it will be found to be the basis of good husbandry, and 01 more use than all other manures put together. Wherever lime has been properly applied, it has con stantly been found to prove as much superior to dung, as dung is to the rakings of roads, or the produce of a peat mire.