The Savannah morning news., 1903-09-14
Lining of Soils.

Authorities seem to agree that lime
is necessary to the plant, and if it be
wholly lacking in soils, even though
an abundance of all the other essential
elements is present, it can not develop
normally, says a recent bulletin. Just
as a chain is useless with a missing
link, so the plant cannot grow if one
of the essential elements of plant food
is lacking. AS already stated, lime has
been found to be especially deficient
in soils derived from granite. 1t is also
often true of soils derived from mica
schist and sandstone. Fortunately
however. many soils are we'll provided
with lime by nature and it is seldom
or never necessary for those who cul-
tivate them to resort to lining. 1t
would be just as irrational to apply
lime where it is not needed as to omit
it where it is required, and hence arises
the necessity of ascertaining the needs
of particular soils in this respect.
The method usually resorted to for
ascertaining the amount of lime in soils
is to treat them with some strong min
eral acid CASUALLY hydrochloric) and de-
termine the amount of lime which is
thus dissolved. Some writers state
that If only one-half of l per cent is
thus shown to be present immediate re-
sort to lining is desirable others set
the amount higher, and some seem to
prefer to have present as much as
per cent. 1t is possible that a soil may
contain considerable quantities of lime
thus removable by acid and yet in ac
tual practice show much benefit from
lining AS a matter of fact, soils of
limestone origin sometimes show BEN
eft from lining. This seems to be due
to the fact that a considerable amount
of lime compounds, soluble in hydro
chloric acid, may exist, and the soil be
nevertheless so charged with inert or
ganic matter or so acid that the prof
liable production of certain crops is
an impossibility.
The fact that beets of all kinds
make a ready response to Timing on
| soils which are deficient in lime may
be utilized as the basis for a practf-
| cal and reliable method of testing the
lime requirements of the soil. For this
purpose lay out two plats of land, each
| about II by 30 feet manure each of
the plats with like amounts of fer
| tillzer containing potash, phosphoric
acid, and nitrogen, and apply lime to
one of the 9lats at the rate of from
! l to 2ia tons per acre Gao pounds per
plat would be approximately 2h tons
per acre). A comparison of the growth
anu NleluS on the TWO platS Will Iur-
nish a safe means of Judging whether
the soil will respond probably to APP
plications of lime.
Chemical Action of Lime on Soils. 49,
Lime is said to take the place of pot
ash in certain chemical compounds
which exist in soils, thus lberating the
potash and placing it at the disDosa'
of plants. In this particular gypsum
Gland plaster or calcium sulphate) Is
believed to act more energeticany than
carbonate of lime, air-slacked or wa
ter-slacked lime.
When soluble phosphates are applied
TO soils deficient in lime and magnesia
the phosphoric acid combines with tn,
iron and alumina of the soil to form
compounds which are not readily utfl-
lied by plants. If, however, the soil is
fairly well supplied with lime and mag
nesia this transformation is retarded
so that the plant is afforded an oppor-
tunity to utilize much of the phos-
phoric acid before it becomes unassim-