The Portland daily press., 1895-11-16
LIME AS A FERTILIZER.
It's Value to the Farmer-How and When
1t May Be Applied.

Its Value to the Farmer-How and When
1t May Be Applied.
If we study the composition Of plants,
we find that lime is the most important
part of the mineral elements of nearly
every one. And it is to be remembered
that in the growth Of plants every ele-
ment found in them is indispensable.
But how much more must it be so-if
such thing were possible, for one ele-
ment to be more indispensable than an
other-for lime, which exists in such
large proportion, to be anything but in
dispensable. 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 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 80 to 10 per cent. And there is
notsone plant grown that has not lime
in it's ashes. The same applies to potash
and phosphoric acid, and reasonably
these are supposed to be food for plants;
why, then, is not lime a plant food?
Surely it must be SO considered. Thus
writes that excellent authority. Henry
Stewart, in The American Agricultur
list. He also is authority for the follow
ing:
The best farmed localities in the
world are those where the soil contains
a large proportion of lime, being deriv-
ed from the decomposition of limestone
rocks. But it is not SO much on account
of the lime in the soil that the land is
so we'll farmed and so productive, but
mostly for the reason that lime being
there abundant and cheap, the farmers
burn the limestone and make lime, and
apply it to the land. Lime only is a
plant food, but limestone is not, and
the soil may be well filled with lime
stone and yet be quite poor. Now lime
is a very active chemical substance.
This will be seen if some of it is put in
some vinegar. This will foam up and
boil over the cup, and large quanti-
ty of gas will be evolved. In the end
there will bs no more acid in the vine
gar. And this is one effect OF lime on
soil that is sour, such as swamp land,
in which the excess of acid prevents the
growth of any useful plants.
If we put some lime on dead ami
NAL or on any other organic matter, it
will quickly decompose it and reduce it
to it's 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 in the soil when quicklime is ap-,
piled, as it usually is in the fall when
the land is prepared for wheat and grass
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 a considerable quantity of this
mineral matter, forming silicate of
lime, and by taking the silica from the
potash, or the phosphate, or magnesia,
or the alumina, ETC., that the soil is
made up of, the lime renders these ele
ments of plant food soluble and avail
able for the crops.
Now this is small part Of the nat
ural history Of lime, as it is used in
good farming. And with such history
we must realize its value to the farmer,
quite independently Of the fact wheth
er it is actually plant food or not.
And as the season is approaching when
the land is in the best condition for the
application of lime, as lime is most
soluble in cold water, and the wheat
crop is most convenient for it, it is a
question for all of us if it is not advisa-
BILE to SO use it, and gather the fruits of
it's good effects on the soil. The freshly
burned lime only is used, and/20 to 40
bushels per acre is the usual quantity.
It is left in heaps in the field, preferably
of one bushel each, two rods apart, and
in few days it falls to fine powder
by the action Of the moisture of the air,
or a shower Of rain, when it is easily
spread quite eyenly-so as to just whit
en- the surface-with long handled
shovel. But when lime is thus used for
the wheat, it is not advisable to use su
perphosphate until the spring. 1t can
then be used to advantage.