The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-01-02
Lime as a Fertilizer.


ment and sense every one has confidence
insist that lime is not a plant food, and
is therefore useless as fertilizer Now,
a plant food is considered to be any.
thing that, being contained in plants to
a large extent, may be applied to the
soil to contribute to the supply of it for
the crops. When we see that when such
an element of plant substance is applied
to the soil the following crop is great
ly helped, we can hardly agree with the
opinion that it is not food for plants,
writes Henry Stewart to American Ag.
riculturist He says:
If we study the composition Of plants,
we find that lime is the most important
part of the mineral elements of nearly
every one. The ash of plant is made
up of these mineral elements, and by
examining the ash we may discover
what kinds and quantities of mineral
matters the plants require. And it is to
be remembered that in the growth OF
plants every element found in them is
indispensable. But how much more
must it be So if such a thing were
possible, for )ne element to be more in.
dispensable .han another, for lime,
which exists in such a large proportion,
to be anything but indispensable?
And this must be thought so as we
consider that in the ash of hay one.
eighth part is lime In the ash of clover
more than a third of it is lime In the
ash of potato tops nearly one-half is
lime The ashes of wood, which we
think so valuable On account of the pot
ash in them, have several times more
lime than Potash, the lime amounting
to from 30 To 10 per cent. And there is
not one plant grown that has not lime
i'll its ashes, The same applies to pot.
ash and phosphcric acid, and reasona.
bly, these are supposed to be food for
plants. Why, then, is not lime a plant
food? Surely it must be so considered.
The best farmed localities III the
world are those where the soil contains
large proportion of lime, being de.
rived from the decomposition of lime
stone rocks. But it is not so much on
account Of the lime in the soil that the
land is so well farmed and so produc-
tive, but mostly for the reason that, lime
being there abundant and cheap, the
farmers bum the limestone and make
lime and apply it to the land. Lime
only is a plant food, but limestone is
not, and the soil My be well filled with
limestone and yet be quite poor This
is common experience. Now, lime is
very active chemical substance. This
will be seen il some of it is put in some
vinegar. This will foam up and boil over
the cup, and larger quantity of gas
will be evolved. In the end there will
be no more acid i'll the vinegar And
this is one effect of lime on soil that is
sour, such as swamp land, i'll which the
excess of acid prevents the growth Of
any useful plants.
If we put some lime on dead ami.
NAL or any other organic matter, it will
quickly decompose it and reduce it tc
its original elements, and this is one
effect of lime when used in compost,
the matters thus decomposed then be.
coming good manure and useful food
for plants. And this same effect is pro.
duced i'll the soil when quicklime is ap.
piled, as it usually is in the fall, when
the land is prepared for wheat and gras:
and clover seeding. But the chemist
may take some sand or other mineral
matter and mix lime with it and then
add water, and the lime will dissolve
quite considerable quantity of this
mineral matter, forming silicate OF
lime, and Gy taking the silica from the
potash or the phosphates or magnesia
or the alumina, etc, that the soil i:
made up of, the lime renders these ele'
ments of plant food soluble and availa
BILE for the crops
Now, this is a small part of the nat
ural history Of lime as it is used IL
good farming And with such history
we must realize its value to the farmer
quite independently of the fact whether
it is actually a plant food or not And
as this is the season when the land is IL
the best condition for the application OF
lime, as lime is most soluble i'll cold
water and the wheat crop is most con
venient for ii, it Is Il question for all OF
us if it is not advisable to so use ii and
gather the fruits OF its goods effects On
the soil, The freshly burned lime only
is used, and 20 to 40 bushels per acre
is the usual quantity. 1t is left i'll heaps
in the field, preferably of one bushe
each two rods apart, aud i'll IA few day.
it falls to fine powder by the action
of the moisture of the air or shower
of rain, when it is easily spread quite
evenly, so as just to whiten the surface,
with long handled shovel. But whor
the lime is thus used for the wheat il
is not advisable to use superphosphatt
until the spring. 1t can then be ustC
to advantage.
NI.,aod onJ Hnndonco1