The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-07-10

sterility. This idea is not altogether
erroneous, but it is only true in Ger.
tain sense.
do not mean, of course, to assert
atasoil may not be overturned. Such
an occurrence, although not, should
think, by any means a common one,
is not impossible. 1t can be done,
and the immediate effect of over
lining is to cause great diminution
in the amount of the organic constit-
uents of the soil, thereby rendering
grain crops grown on it uncertain.
When l say, however, that there
need not be much fear of rendering a
soil sterile by means of lime, l refer
to the impossibility of destroying the
natural or mineral constituents of
soil, such as potash, silica, phospho-
ric acid, sulphuric acid, etc When
lime is added to the soil, it does not
eliminate or destroy these substan-
ces, it merely effects certain changes
by bringing some of them into
more valuable condition; so that as
long as we do not remove, by iniu-
dicious cropping, or by some similar
method, these valuable constituents
of plant food from our soils, we may
apply lime as freely as is deemed
necessary without mourning any dan
ger of thereby rendering them ster-
lie, at least Of dong so by exhausting
the mineral food elements. The
principal evil to be apprehended
from over-liming is too great a de-
struction Of organic matter, which, as
have already pointed out, insults
the soil for the growth of the grain
crops. 1t should also be borne in
mind that lime almost always pro-
duces the most profitable and marked
effect on new land which has not
been fully exposed to the air, or
on such land as is rich in organic
remains, as, for example, on peaty or
Doggy land, and that it may be of
very little use if applied alone to
arrable land which has just been
cropped. The greatest mistake,
though, which l have ever seen COM
mitted in connection with the en-
ployment of lime is that of mixing it
with manure before application. In
these days of enlightenment it is
almost Incredible that such an eyre
grious error as this should be COM
mitted, and l myself have actually
| conn tho narnofrofio,, 80 4b;o c,,oo;oc
of absolutely inexcusable wastrY.
When farm-yard manure, at least
after it has been kept some time, is
so treated with lime it is almost en-
tirely destroyed, and the value OF
many other manures, by similar treat
ment, would be very much lessened.
Lime should never be allowed to
come in contact with manure at all :;
and if it could be arranged conven-
iently, these two substances should
be applied to the land at different
times.
AS | have been frequently asked
to give an opinion as to the value of
waste products containing lime, such
as the so-called gas lime and the
refuse lime from paper works, it may
be OF some use if | state here that
none of these substances are of any
great value except for the lime
which they contain; and [ should
say further that neither OF these sub
stances should on any account be
used for agricultural purposes in
their fresh state. Gas lime, when it
is newly made, contains certain COM
pounds Of sulphur, which are posi-.
lively inimical to plant life, and
much the same may be said of the
waste lime from paper mills, which,
when it is new, is apt to contain
some caustic soda, substance which
may seriously injure plant, and even
destroy entirely the vitality of seeds.
By sufficient weathering, however,
the noxious constituents of both
these substances may be rendered
quite harmless, and either or both of
them may then be safely used as a
means of applying lime to the soil.