Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-01-01
How and Why TO Use Lime.


upon the farms Of our county every
year. In order to help our farmers
to more intelligent application of
it, and understanding OF its action,
we reprint from the Religious Herald.
a very plainly written article by one
of the leading chemists Of the day
What are the uses of lime in agrl-
culture
CD Lime is always one Of the nine
substances found in the ash of plants.
The grasses and forest trees particu-
larly take it up from the soil in great
abundance. When lime is not pres
ent In the soil in sufficient abundance
to meet this demand, it should be
added.
(2) Lime is needed to hasten the
decomposition of vegetable matter,
and SO make it available as plant
food. If we wrap up piece of lime
in cloth, in a short time the cloth is
so decomposed that it will fall into
shreds from its own weight. Tan
ners use lime in their vats to rot the
hair from the hides. Now, lime be-
haves exactly in this way in the soil.
The vegetable matter in the soil is use
less until it decomposes, and lime
hastens the process of decomposi-
tion.
(3 Lime is frequently necessary
to correct acidity in the soil. Soils
charged with vegetable acids are
never productive. On such soils we
put lime, which, combining with
these acids, forms neutral salts OF
lime. A person takes little lime
water, for exactly the same reason,
when he suffers from acidity of the
stomach. When lands have been
7 freshly drained, they are always acid.
The excess Of water, with which the
land was saturated, had excluded the
atmosphere, and 30 had prevented
tue complete decomposition of vege.
table matter. This vegetable matter.
if the air had not been excluded,
would have been converted by at
mospheric oxygen into carbonic acid.
ammonia, &c. but without oxygen,
it's elements rearrahge themselves,
and form those injurious compounds,
ulmic, humic and geic acids. When
the soil is drained, the atmosphere
strikes through and destroys these
acids, but not entirely in n single
season. The process of, necessity, is
slow. The soil To the depth of sew
eral feet, it may be, is sour, and il
will he 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
1t is spread upon the soil, it is carried
downward by the rains, and combines
with and neutralizes speedily and ef-
fectually these vegetable acids. We
cannot possibly err, then, when we
put lime on freshly-drained lands.
In such lands there are not only free
acids, but a large amount of organic
matter, which has not been decom-
posed because of the exclusion oi
atmospheric oxygen. The applica.
tion of lime to such soils corrects
this acidity, and by decomposing,
renders Immediately available this
large amount of vegetable matter.
The ash of the grasses contains 22
per cent. Of lime. Hence the practice
of top dressing the grasses with gyp
sum, which is the sulphate of lime.
Lime may be injuriously applied
If the soil contain but little vegeta.
BILE matter, the application of lime,
particularly heavy applications, will
cause this vegetable matter to decom.
pose too quickly. When the crop
approaches maturity, it finds that
its quantum of vegetable matter has
already been decomposed and used
up. The result will be conspicuous.
ly disastrous if the soil was not de.
ficient in lime. The lime has sup
piled no want, but has only inflicted
an injury.
W Lime Is known as caustlc OF
quick lime. This is the article as VIC
obtain it from the kiln. Heat has
expelled carbonic acid from the car
Donate of lime, and .caustic lime il
the result.
(2) Hydrated or slaked lime.
When We add to Jumps of caustiC
lime about 25 per cent. Of water, the
Jumps fall down into a perfectly drs
powder, giving us slaked lime.
(3) Upon exposure to the atmos.
phere, this slaked lime loses its prop.
critics. IL becomes the carbonate oi
lime, or mild lime-the very com
pound chemically from which the
lime was originally obtained. This
/ II.