The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-01-09
LIME AND SOIL.

Clay or Fine Alluvial Soils.
As rule men are given too much to
superficial reasoning and thinking.
Few take time to study any subject ex-
haustively. The question of the agri-
cultural value of lime, for instance. has
been specifically studied until many
farmers who have gwen attention to il
have some general ideas about it but
very insufficient knowledge to found
good practice upon. Agriculture is
complicated science. and is full OF ques-
tions which need to be studied from the
fundamental point of the principles in.
volved in them, so that the principles
being understood good practice can be
based upon them. This is especially true
as regards lime. which is really one oil
the most variously effective of fertilizers,
and should therefore be studied
from many points of view. We
have at times regarded it as a
direct plant food and as chemical.
agent. acting upon organic matter in the
soil and again as affecting the mineral
elements of the soil. One more point
should not be ignored. and this is its
mechanical action upon soils. both
sandy. fine alluvial and clay. Now we
are too much exercised about the chem.
istry of soils. Farmers who read so
much about the chemical constituents
of fertile soil are led to believe that
if the requisite proportions of these
needed elements are there nothing more
is required to produce maximum crops.
But we are often disappointed in this
respect. Again. farmers are too apt
being misled by old proverbs to the
effect that lime exhausts the soil, to
think and believe that the farmer who
uses lime in regular rotation once every
five or six years is running his land and
using up the Inheritance of his children.
This is because the lime is considered
only from chemical point of view,
ignoring its value as direct plant food,
and not knowing or forgetting that its
mechanical effect is exceedingly valu-
able to crops.
A coarse. sandy soil is too light and
open. 1t is too porous and admits the
suns heat too readily, and thus fails
greatly in dry and hot summers. But
when lime is applied to such soil in
sufficient quantity its effect is to fill up
the vacanc es or interstices in such
soil and to make it more adherent, more
retentive of mo; sture, and consequently
less receptive of heat during the day
aud more retentive of warmth at night.
These are most important advantages
which should not be overlooked or neg
lected by owners of light sandy lands.
But the mechanical effect of lime
upon clay lands and those fine alluvial
soils which are SO apt to pack and be-
come solid and hard, and especially
upon the alkaline soils of the plains and
Pacific coast. is yet more important. II
an owner of such soil will test this
effect, he will be surprised to see how
great change is made. Let him take
a small portion of such soil and agitate
it in a deep glass vessel as test tube
or long. narrow bottle,-an argand
lamp chimney closed at one end makes
a good tube for this purpose and then
drop into the clouded. muddy water
which remains upon settling small
quantity of fine air-slacked. fresh lime;
he will find that the small suspended
particles of soil coagulate into flakes
and cohere into masses which quickly
sink to the bottom, leaving the water
clear. This same effect happens in the
soil of a field which has been dressed
with lime, and the result is that the soil
is opened. made more porous and fra
BILE. If he takes some of the fine soil,
mixes it with fine air-slacked lime. and
leaves it to dry, he will find that it will
fall apart quite easily. while another
sample will become harder and more
coherent as it dries, until it remains an
intractable clod.
To realize how useful this effect il
upon the soil is very easy. It is gen.
eral complaint that it is difficult to plow
clay or fine alluvial soils in dry
weather An application of lime to
these soils greatly ameliorates these OBJ
jectionable conditions and renders their
tillage much easier. 1t is thus seen how
tillage is greatly helped by the admir-
tnre of lime to all kinds of soils. simply.
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