Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1879-12-25
AGRICULTURAL.
A Few Words About Lime.


as skilful chemist, gives in a recen
paper the following succinct sugges
tons on the uses and miauses Of lime
What are the uses Of lime in agri.
culture?
% Lime is always one Of the nine
substances found in the ash Of plant 8
The grasses and forest trees particu-
larly take it up from the soil in great
abundance. When lime is not pres
ext in the soil in sufficient abundance
10 meet this demand, it should be
added.
~ Lime is needed to hasten the
decomposition of vegetable matter,
and so make it available az plant food.
If we wrap up piece of lime IN a
cloth, in short time the cloth is so
decomposed that it will fall into shreds
from its own weight. Tanners use
lime in their watts to rot the hair from
the hides. Now, lime behav es exact
" in this way in the soil. The vege.
table matter in the soil is useless I'M
til it decomposes, and lime hastens the
process of decomposition.
(3) Lime is frequently necessary to
correct aciaity in the soil. Soils
charged with vegetable acids are new.
er productive. On such soils we put
lime, which, combining with these
acids, forms neutral salts of lime A
person takes a little lime water, for
exactly the same reason, when he suf-
fers from acidity Of the stomach.
When lands have been freshly drain
ed, they are always acid. The excess
OF water, with which the land was sat
urated, had excluded the atmosphere,
and so had prevented the complete
decomposition Of vegetable matter.
This vegetable matter, if the air had
not been excluded, would have been
converted by atmospheric oxygen into
carbonic acid, ammonia, &c; but,
without oxygen, its elements rearrange
themselves, and form those injurious
compounds, ulmic, humic and gelc
acids When the soil is drained, the
atmosphere strikes through and de-
stroys these acids, but not entirely III
a single season. The process, Of ne
csssity, is slow.-The soil to the depth
of several feet, it may be, is sour, and
it will be some time before the atmos
phere can thoroughly permeate this
soil and burn out these hurtful acids
Lime, then, comes to help the slow
operation Of natural causes. When II
is spread upon the soil, it is carried
downward by the rains, and combines
with and neutralizes speedily and
effectnally these vegetable acids. We
cannot possibly err, then, when we put
lime on fresbly-drained landj. III
uuch lands there are not only free
acids, but large amount of organic
matter, which has not been decompos-
ed because Of the exclusion 81 atmos
pheric oxygen. The application Of
lime to such soils corrects this acidity,
and, by decomposing, renders imme-
1iately available this large amount Of
vegetable matter.
The ash of the grasses contains %
PER cent. Of lime. Hence the prac-
tice Of topdressing the grasses with
gypsum, which is the sulphate Of lime.
Lime may be injuriously applied. If
the soil contain but little vegetable
matter, the application of lime par
heavy applications, will
cause this vegetable matter to decom-
pose too quickly. When the crop
maturity, it finds that
its quantum Of vegetable matter has
already been decomposed and used
up. The result will be conspicuously
disastrous if the soil was not deficient
in lime. The lime has supplied no
want, but has only inflicted an injury.
% Lime is known as caustic or
quick lime. This is an article as we
Oh tain it from the kiln. Heat has
expelled carbonic acid from the car
donate of lime. and caustic lime is the
result.
(2) Hydrated or slaked lime, When
we add to Jumps of ca1stic lime about
IS per cent. Of water, the Jumps fall
down into perfectly dry powder, Civ
ing us slaked lime.
(3.) Upon exposure to the atmos'