The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-05-28
From the Spirit Of arkansas
Calcareous Manures.
BY W: S. THOMAS.

Calcareous manures are those into
whose composition lime or magnesla enters
in considerable quantities and is popularity
known as lime, plaster or gypsum, mari,
magnesia, etc Lime is found everywhere
in nature; is extensively distributed
throughout the mineral vegetable and
animal kingdoms, aud combined princl-
pally with carbonic, sulphuric, phosphoric,
huoric. boracic and silicic acids; it enters
into the formation of limestone, mar
Bile, mari, gypsum, phosphorite, or
ganic remains, etc, 1t is an unsettled
question among scientists whether lime
Is characteristic of the animal or mineral
world. Its remarkable fact that all
the great geological formations in which
lime is prominent, are found to consist of
the aggregated skeletons. shells or casts of
myriads of invertebrated animals which
existed at some period long before the
creation of man. From the densest and
hardest limestone to the softest chalk, the
entire mass generally resolves itself ultlm-
lately into congeries of animal remains;
aud hence the great supply OF lime in the
mineral state arises from the destruction
of its animal sources. The lime, therefore,
which exists in nature must be looked
upon as being constantly in state of pas
sage between the organic and inorganic
kingdoms. The plants that grow upon
the soil take up, by dissolution in their
Juices, salts of line, which pass into the
substance OF the animal that feeds upon
them, and, accommodating in its system,
they afford materials for the proper de-
velopement of the skeletons, the hair, the
skin and the softer parts.
| al 81
cles and other tissues either serve for the
nutrition of some other animal, or, being
totally decomposed, its elements return
again to a mineral state, to be in after
ages the subject of similar alterations.
Iu considering the chemical nature of
: the ash of plants, it is known that lime in
, all cases forms q considerable portion OF
its own weight, which is the reason why
lime is regarded as a necessary food OF
plants and is also one cause of its bene6
clal influence IN general agricultural prac
tice. The quantity Of pure lime contained
in the crops produced upon one acre, &C
, cording to Prof. Johnston, during a foul
year rotation amounts on an average t.
, 242 pounds which are equal to about 43(
. pounds OF carbonate of lime in q state o.
marl shell mari, or limestone gravel. L
is therefore plain that one of the most in
> telligibe purposes served by this substanct
: as a chemical constituent of the soil, is t
supply this comparatively large quantit.
: which in some form or other must ente
into the roots of plants.
By the term mari, is generally under
= stood an earthly mixture containing no
Il less than 20 per cent, Of the carbonate o
o lime. That richest in lime is called lime
mari; that composed of clay and lime
clay mari that consisting ofloam and mari
loam- mari; and that of sand and lime
sandy-marl. Lime-marl is the richest il
that mineral, often containing from IS t.
80 per cent, of the carbonate of lime.
A large part of the soil of middle Ar
kansas, or that portion occupied by thu
: carniferous formation is of silicious char
c acter and somewhat deficient in that focC
E furnished to vegetation by lime. Thi
! however, nature has provided for by ex
!. tensive deposits of the most excellent lime
mar found underlying the surface ant
Oyerlaying deposit of tertiary lime ston
OF large extent, situated near Alexander
e thirteen miles southwest of Little Rock
on the st. Louis, Iron Mountain ant
Southern railway. The above compan
10 owns considerable tract of land immed
q lately on the line of the road where tn
Il marl can be seen out cropping. A fin
i deposit of mari has also been lately dis
Cavered near Beebe, and it is to be hope
80 that, for the benefit Of our agriculture
o. community, some interested parties wi
90 soon develop these much needed and va
." liable lime-marl deposits. The tru
90 grower fully understands their value an
90 will congratulate himself on being with
CO reach of so rich fertilizer. for not eve
= the grain field shows its effect more strik
% ingly than the orchard