The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-10-19
Lime.
Editor Elorfda Aqriculturtgt.

Editor Florida A9licuLturiSf
To show all the reasons why lime
is fertilizer for most soils, it would
be necessary to consider what con.
stituies vegetation; how it obtains
and applies It's food; where it comes
from; how it is produced; how assim-
Hated, and enabled to continue its
supply, and other points that prop
erly belong to the chemist and veg.
etable psychologist, and would :be
out Of place in any journal. There
fore we must take the shortest and
most common way, that of ipse dixit,
and leave the reader to accept or re.
ject as he may elect.
LIST. 1t is we'll known that all We,
get tissue or structure, considered as
a whole, consists OF about one-halt
carbon; and as carbon is not soluble
in water, it can only be obtained from
carbonic acid gas, which is held in
solution In water, and small portion
in the air we breathe, about one
twenty five hundreth part, which is
too small a source of supply, for the
large demand, especially in elevated
positions, where the air is more rare,
and consequently lett to the given
amount OF space, apparently INSULT
Gent ior the enormous tree growth,
below timber line. We next look
tor it in the soil; but if this is poor
in humus, but little can be obtained
from the terment of its capital stock;
hut if it is rich in humus, it can find
abundance, as it is there generated,
and can be utilized by the roots, asst
is held in water, as well as in space
leyen if roots have not the power tc
render soluble the refractory com
pounds) giving an additional supply
TO that furnished to the leaves, by
what is contained in the air; and II
there is still insufficient for the res
quirements of vegetation, the humuf
hastens decomposition of such miner
ais as hold it latent, OF which the
carbonate of magnesia is the largest
stakeholder, carrying about fifty pei
cent, and carbonate of lime tortY>
four per cent. There are other inor-
eanic constituents OF sandy OF
granite soil, some twenty IN number,
a halt dozen OF which hold lime in
no less quantities than twelve per
cent, giving abundance to furnish all
the carbonic acid gas to feed the
roots with carbon, which makes the
structure of all vegetation provided
we have the forces in the form Of
humus or organic matter tor elimina'
tion. IT they are lacking, then we
must apply that which is nearest to
and easiest to be converted into car>
bonic acid gas, such as thoroughly
air-slacked lime, calcined plaster or
carbonate OF magnesia. Briefly, this
is why we consider lime to be fer
tilizer Tor most soils-because they
are poor in humus, and not because
they are poor in latent carbonaceous
material-and why I think that lime
should almost always be air~slacked
and not caustic. l will proceed to
state: 1st.-Because caustic lime is a
strong antiseptic (the very thing we
wish to avoid); it arrests decay IN
vegetable matter, ana our aim should
be 10 promote it. Everybody knows
that all wood fibre is rendered al
most imperishable by solution Of
quick lime or other caustic alkali, and
as once previously stated, it has a
strong chemical affinity for humus
and with it forms an lnsoluable hui
mate OF lime-locking up and almost
sealing the life giving agent, which is
absolutely essential to the perfection
OF vegetation, besides diminishing
the actual amount (by what passes
off as exhalation)ot ammonia,and with
nuthing to balance these but its acid
neutralizing property. have
known very bad results from the use
OF caustic alkalies on soil. a person
once used about ten barrels Thomas.
! ton lime on about three quarters Of
AN acre of light but rich soil (trom
abundance of stable manure for the