Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1877-11-22
NJ ISCE LILA n e. U.s..
SOMETHING ABOUT LIME.

although it was not until the commence
ment of this century that it was shown by
Sir Humphrey Davey, to be a compound of
oxygen and a metal to which he gave the
name of calcium, III the proportion of $500
parts Of the forme to 71-9l OF the latter.
Neither the metal nor its oxide occurs in
nature, in an uncornbined state, but its COM
pounds, or salts, are found abundantly, and
are, all of them, OF more or less Importance
TO the practical farmer. Combined with
sulphuric acid, it becomes a sulphate and it
is called gypsum or plaster of Paris, so that
this ia made up Of sulphur, oxygen and cal
eiurn. When in a crystalline form it is
named alabaster, and when combined with
carbonic acid it becomes a carbonate and is
chalk in one form and various forms of lime
stone in another, and when crystallized, It'll
marble.
When heated in a properly constructed
kiln the carbonate of lime is decomposed.
it's carbonic acid being driven off in the state
of gas, and the lime left as a porus mass.
Lime so burned is called "quick" Lime. II
brought in contact with water, it rapidly alb
serbs and unites with it, forming a definite
compound to which chemists have given
the name of hydrate of lime,-from the
Greek word hydor, siGnifying water,--bat
which is ordinarily knowned as Stacked
lime. La the combination of water with
lime q heat of 500 degrees Centegrade is
produced, a heat sufficiently intense to char
or ignite many combustible bodies. The
quantity of water that actually combines
with lime in Stacking is mine parts to TWEEN
ty-eight and ahalf parts of lime. Coilse-
quentlY in the process, lime becomes heay-
Ter by rather more than one-third its origi-
ral weight. When Jumps of quick lime are
exposed to the air, they gradually absorb
moisture from it, and fall to pieces, and IN
course of time, the formation Of the hydrate
is complete, or, in ordinary language, the
lime is Stacked. This spontaneous Stacking
Is a slow process, but the product is much
more finely pnlverized than when water is
thrown on the burned lime, and on this ac-
count it is always the best method of apply
ing lime to the soil. The Stacked lime is
very sparingly soluble in water, and cold
water solves, more Oft than warm. as water
ut 80 degrees, the freezing point, is capable
Of dissolyipg twice as much lime as water at
3l2 degrees, the boiling point.
When. lime is mixed with water, it has
the property Of absorbing carbonic acid gas
from the atmosphere, which is known by a
scale, forming on the vessel that contains it.
It is this quality. of the hydrate of lime that
makes it a good disinfectant for it gives up
Its, oxygen and embraces the injurious car
bonic acid gas. Quick lime loses it's prop
erty of mixing we'll with water to form a
mortar, when it becomes old, lift has been
exposed tor the carbonate of lime thus
formed, is wholly or only very slightly SOL
uble in water.
4inae in its different forms, is a great civ
uizer, and it is kind in Providence to. have
N4ade 1t so abundant. 1t is used for build
ing oGn, houses, raising our food, bleaching
our clothes, and dyeing some of the most
beautiful colors. 1t is used as a f1ux in the
separation of metals from their ores, and
the glass-maker uses it in his art. As a car
Donate it comes, out from the artists studio
q thing OF beauty, or an enduring represen-
tation of those who are or have been, while
AS a sulphate and phosphate, it is a beniti-
cent godsend to the tillers of the soiI.-
Enoch Spencer.
CONSUMPTION CURED.
An old physician. retired from practice,
hnVinp had .fnool -, J.s, ln,3, Lr.. ~