The Savannah morning news., 1903-03-02

nature than from it's adding any lack
ing element of plant food to the soil,
says the Epitomist. There are some
soils, however. that lack sufficient
lime for the proper development of
plant life, but in a majority of cases
there is sufficient lime for the use of
the growing crops. Where there is a
lack of lime in the soil for the use
pf the crop, lime would be a direct
fertilizer. Where it's application is
profitable only on account of it's ac-
ton upon the other fertilizer elements
already in the soil. it is an indirect
fertilizer. Lime is usually regarded as
the most important of the indirect fer
tiliZeTs, it being one of the oldest and
most popular. 1t has not been regard
ed with as much favor in this country
as in Europe It's wonderful action is
commented upon by several ancient
writer's. OF late it's use seems to have
been restricted by our best farmers
for the reason that the action of lime
upon the soil cannot be said to be well
understood, considering its long use in
agriculture. Its action on different
soils seems to be very dissimilar.
From the theoretical teachings of
chemists. lime should not be applied
with phosphate, owing to it's tendency
to combine with the soluble phosphoric
acid and form insoluble phosphates;
thus rendering available fertilizer I'M
available. But this does not do as
much harm in practice as is presup-
posed, since the soluble phosphoric
| acid becomes insoluble soon after it's
application to the soil anyway. In
point of fact, the results obtained
from using lime with phosphate do not
| seem to wholly bear out the scientists
theory, as, in most cases. where prac-
tically tested with phosphate at the
| Epitomist Experiment Station, it's use
has proved to be an advantage, for the
lime increased the crop production con-
| siderably Much of the lime removed
| by the crops finds it way back to the
land in the straw and the barnyard
manure. Lime occurs chiefly as car
| Donate of lime in the form of lime
stone, marble or chalk; chemically,
| these are said to be all one 1t occurs
as sulphate OF lime or gypsum and in
| the form of phosphate. In agriculture
it is used chiefly in the forms of car
| Donate or mild lime, burnt caustic or
quick lime and as gypsum. Lime has
| the effect to render clay soils more fri
able, the adhesive property of the soil,
ed.
1t has a tendency to foculate the soil
!
| porous. This property of lime may be
! illustrated by adding to some muddy
| water little lime water, the result
| being that the muddy water will speed
| lily become clear the fine clay particles
| having come together at the bottom of
the vessel Another illustration of the
| effect of lime on clay soil may be per-
| formed by mixing clay with water so
| as to make a mortar. TO a part of it
! y 66 nd
lad the lime added will crumble east
! ly, but that without the lime will be
! quite hard and will resist crumbling
| The effect of lime upon a sandy soil
| is quite the reverse to that of clay. 1t
has binding effect upon the sand. It
also increases the water holding power
of sandy soil. All are familiar with
the hardening, binding effect which
lime has upon sand when mixed to make
mortar used by stone masOns and brick
layers. Lime is a most important agent
in unlocking the latent fertility of the
soil. and rendering it available. 1t
does this by decomposing the different
minerals and setting free the potash
they contain. The caustic form is most
powerful in this respect 1t has the
power to recompose vegetable matter
and render the nitrogen It contains
available. 1t neutralizes acidity and
illus NOiIG SOuF idIluS. inns proper
ty may be illustrated by taking a piece
of blue litmus paper and first dipping
it into glass of vinegar, when the
Gcidity of the vinegar will immediately
cause the litmus paper to turn red,
then dipping 1t into glass of lime
water when it will as quickly return
to its original color, showing that the
effect of the vinegar is overcome by
that of lime water. By neutralizine
the acidity in soured lands, lime pro-
notes the growth of all crops, most es-
pecially those of the leguminous class
which it greatly aids by putting the
soil in condition to develop the bac-
terra which attach themselves to the
roots of the plants and supply them
with the power to t. Ike nitrogen from
the air. These microscopic organisms
that are attached to the roots of legum-
nous plants cannot thrive in a soured
soil and this correction of the soil NAV
often enable the farmer to grow a
leguminous crop where it could not be
done without the lime. Where these
crops have been grown at the Epitomist
Experiment Station for the first time
in any particular field without lime,
there has very seldom been any growth
of the bacterial nodules on the roots
though usually by the second season of
cultivation in the same land these nod
ules become more abundant; and are Of
great value in enabling the plant to
use the free nitrogen of the atmos-
phere and thus fix it in the soil for
fertilizing future crops. There has
been and is yet some doubt as to
whether the bacteria which forms the
nodules on different kinds of legumf-
nous crops are all different species or
in general the same species, for the
reason that some are rather slow IN
adapting themselves to different kinds
of plants, but all. under the conditions
given above. seem to thrive on.the judi
cious use of lime.