Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-05-16
APPLICATION OF LIME.

APPLICATION OF LIME.
Ooe e tie Most valaable sahstanees for
| Use On the Farn.
Lime is one of the most valuable sub.
; stances for use on the farm. 1t IL q
plant food. and therefore fertilizer
>for the soil; it is an alkali. and there
fore neutralizes injurious acids; it il
acrid and corrosive, and consequently
decOmp0ses waste and offensive matter;
it is an antiseptic and preserves tim
Der from rotting and iron from rusting.
as well as destroys those fungoid germs
which produce decay; it absorbs water
with avidity. and therefore dries damp
cellars, and will preserve meat from
spelling in hot weather. and has, be-
| sides. many other valuable uses which
need no particular mention; it is
enough to discuss and explain the val
liable properties referred to.
AS fertilizer of the soil it is the
most valuable of all mineral substances.
Plants all contain a large proportion
OF it. The ash of red clover contains
81 per cent. of it; lucern or alfalfa. 4S
per cent; potato leaves, 46 per cent;
corn-stalks. 1O4 per cent; pea vines.
81 per cent; hemp, 4S per cent; to-
bacco. 81 per cent; all woods contain
from 30 to 20 per cent. of it in their
ashes. and the ashes of apple wood has
Il per cent. of it This fact needs no
further remark, but it might be said
how seldom do farmers give their
! orchards a dressing of lime and how
does this neglect explain the unthrifty
condition of the trees that is almost
universal.
If one should take few handfuls Of
soil and mix it into thin paste, and
then pour some fresh lime-wash into it.
brisk effervescence will ensue. The
lime is acting upon the acids of the
soil and forming new combinations
which are useful instead of injurious.
When excessively used on the land
lime certainly contributes very much
to the healthfulness of the locality by
neutralizing those injurious vapors
which produce malaria.
The corrosive effects of lime can be
easily realized by its contact with the
skin, which it rapidly eats away, and
a very small particle Of it in the eye
will destroy the sight When it is
mixed with the soil or literally
sprinkled over offensive matter it
quickly destroys. or rather decom-
poses, it and renders it fit and useful
for the food of plants. 1t not only cor
rodes organic matter. but its elasticity
is so active that it dissolves minerals,
and in this way its remarkable effects
on crops are explained. But, like fire.
it is at the same time useful servant
but bad master, and farmer who
uses it and depends upon it as manure
will rapidly cOme-with his land-to
poverty and grief.
Lime is one of the best preservatives
for timber in existence. 1t neutralizes
the acids in it and solidifes tho
albumen. thus preventing decay. 1t is
the best material for preserving
shingles and fence posts from decay,
and also the stills Of buildings and the
walls and floors; it prevents wet rot
and dry rot, and if painted over the iron
work of plows it will keep them from
rusting. 1t should be used as bed
ding for the beams and floors of cellars
when these are of wood, for it is de-
structive to all kinds of fungi. and even
that pernicious fungus which causes
the rot of potatoes, and many others
are prevented by its use.
Fresh lime will absorb one.third of
Its weight OF water and still appear as a
dry powder, commonly called air
slaked lime. This water it will absorb !
from the air as fast it comes in contact
with it, and hence a damp cellar may |
be dried very easily by putting peck
or more of lime in a box in it. In i
few days the air will be dry and the
lime will be damp and will have gained
more than one-third in weight 1t also
absOrbs carbOnic acid, which is a dead
iy gas and is frequently found in cell
lars and wells, and consequently may
be used for removing this gas from the
air and making the atmosphere whole
some. In warm weather few Jumps
put into an air-tight closet will pre-
serve fresh meat for severaladays in
good condition by drying the air and
preventing the germs of putridity from
exercising their natural functions upon
the meat
With all these beneficial and useful
qualities its use is indispensable on the
farm or in any rural dwelling. 1t has
become modern fashion to laugh at
any person Who has fancy for white
wash of the old-fashioned kind every
spring. and its use on the stems of
fruit trees and the stones which border
the roads and paths about the house
and garden and yards provoke ex-
treme hilarity from those persons who