Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1867-03-07
Agrienltnral.
Use Of Lime in Gardening.

Of all the mineral and earthly sub
stances employed in agriculture and
gardening, there is not one, probably,
about which there exists, in the minds
of most persons, more doubt and un-
certainty as to its real value and ac-
tion, than in respect to the simple ar
.ticle Lime.
Lime is a very important auxiliary
to other manures. 1t is in more ways
than one a real fertilizer, and it pro-
duces, sets free, and organizes ferti-
lizing qualities in other matters but
it is by no means a universal manure
or fertilizer
| propose to set down, in a series
Of paragraphs, the most evident and
important uses of Lime in gardening,
and to call attention especially to two
actions which it possesses, which are
not generally recognized or under
stood.
/. Lime is an alkaline earth-a
sort of salt-under its first and most
evident use is to sweeten our soil.
3 Lime furnishes a substance
which is present in considerable guam
titles in the ash of nearly all cultiva-
ted plants and fruits. For this rea-
son, partly, lime is especially useful
to potatoes. The tuber Of the potato
shows but trace of lime in a ton, and
hence some writers have hastily con-
cluded that lime in quantity is not
essential to this Drop. But look at
the analysis of the straw or top ;
there you will find nearly three hun
dred pounds in the product of an
acre.
3. Freshly Stacked or caustic lime,
acts as powerful decomposing agt.,
when in contact with masses of earth
or vegetable matter, setting free many
substances which before existed in
forms insoluble in water, ,and causing
the natural decay of organic bodies
to be fastened
4. Lime causes cold, dense soils
to become more open and porous, and
renders light and sandy soils more
close in texture or more adhesive.
5. Vegetable matter that is, loan,
sods, stable manure and straw is the
food of lime. By its decomposing
power,it may almost literally be said
to eat up vegetable matter and loan.
1t efectually decomposes and drives
vegetable matter and manure out of
the soil when in the caustic state
Hence where there is little loan there
lime should be used sparingly.
6. Not only does lime decompose
vegetable matter, but when used in
excess it render the results of decom-
position fnsoluble in water.
:. Lime, in close proximity with
decaying nitrogenous matters in the
soil, (as horse manure, hair, leather,
&c. becomes a real ammonia, pro-
ducing agent, the lime and nitrogen
united to form nitre of lime, is fully
equal to ammonia as a fertilizing
agent, while potash and nitrogen form
nitrate of potash, (saltpetre, the
money value of which as manure
needs no explanation.
s. Lime, when it has been burned
and Stacked, and again becomes a
mild carbonate, is then a store-house
of carbonic acid for the use of plants,
and in a certain degree has the same
action upon vegetation as .carbonic
acid evolved from decaying vegeta-
BILE matter You will ask how is this
carbonic acid set free | answer, in
one instance, by the action of carbon
ate Of lime upon SILICA or sand,
(Which is chiefly an acid, slice acid
is liberated, which in its turn acts
upon the carbonate of lime, and large
quantities of carbonic acid are let
loose. Other changes of similar
character take place in the soil, ,caus-
ed by the actions and reactions of
acids and alkalies, which result in the
liberation of carbonic acid, held in
combination by lime, and thus it
serves, in a measure, the same pur-
pose of vegetable carbon in It's rela-
tion to plants.
The last two sections, I and 8, are
those to which l wish to direct the at.
tention of the reader,a as they describe
the least known and more important
use of lime
My rule is to use lime in the garden
constantly, but moderately +; and es,
pecially to use it in combination with
hair, leather, or any slowly rotting
nitrogenous matter and thus l Sc
cure two or three important points in
'terre culture'-.WM., BRIGHT, in Gard.
ner's Monthly.