Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-11-17
Agricultural Use of Lime.

The use of lime - q fertilizer date
from the. inception OF modern scientific
farming. Agricultural chemists hav'
shown that there are five or six differen
functions which limo may perform t
benefit soil, which may be summarized
briefly ss follows:
l. It is an essential element OF plan
food.
Q It aids In the conversion Of decay
ing organic matter into humus.
8. 1t forms compounds with the hu
mic acids which tend to prevent thei
being leached out OF the soil and lost.
4. By producing proper sanitary con
ditions the growth Of Injurious bacteria
Is largely prevented, while the growth
of nitrifying bacteria is encouraged
These nitrifying bacteria convert the nj
trogen of the humus into such form
that 1t is available as . plant food.
5. Lime aids in the liberation of pot
ashland phosphorus from inert com
pounds.
8. 1t tends to focculste clay soils
rendering them granular and more por
Gus.
Obviously, permanent results can no
be expected unless care Is taken to In
sure the presence of some organic fertil
izer at all times. Lime used alone ma!
be temporarily beneficial but will event
ually be harmful; when used with COW
pea vines 1t becomes more efficient To-
general purposes than almost any othe
fertilizer. or course, lime Is not bene
fetal to all crops to the same extent
and not all soils need lime. Thus
some Of the common plants which art
stated by the Department of Agriculture
to be benefited By lime are spinach
lettuce, beet, celery, onion, cucumber
cantsloupe, asparagus, cabbage, peanut
rbubarb, pea, pumpkin, bean, tobacco
alfalfa, clover, barley, wheat, oats, tim
othy, gooseberry, currant, orange
ounce, and cherry. Indian corn Is only
slightly benefited.
Plants which are said to be slightly in
jured BY lime are cotton, tomato, COW
pea, concord grape, peach, apple and
pear, and those really injured are radish
fax, blackberry, black raspberry, anc
cranberry.
Whether soil will respond to limini
or not depends on the amount of avail.
able calcium oxide which 1t already con
tains. Probably the best Indication o.
the need of lime is the failure to Obtain
a good crop of clover.
The question whether lime sh ould bt
applied to the soil as quicklime, hydrat
ed lime, air. slaked lime, or ground lime.
stone is still the subject of great dea
of controversy. The advocates Of
ground limestone claim that the caustit
properties of quick or hydrated lime will
burn up and destroy the organic matter
In the soil, whereas limestone can be ap-
piled in large quantities at long inter
walls and will therefore produce more
or less permanent fertility. The advo
Gates of lime claim that one of the main
functions which lime has to perform is
the destruction of the organic matter
and the liberation of the nitrogen In
such form that the plant can use 1t
that the frequent and judicious use OF
lime, together with some organic fertili
ger, will bring immediate results. OF
course the local conditions OF each par
ticular case must be considered before a
final conclusion can be reached. Thus
it is rational to use quicklime on soils
which are exceedingly rich in organic
matter, such as peaty or swampy soils
Limestone Is safer than quicklime wher
applied just before planting CROP
which Is little helped by lining, OF
when applied to light sandy soil in ho,
dry westher.-(The Source, Manufacture
and Use of lime, U. S. Geological Sur
vey.)