The citizen., 1914-11-20
AGRICULTURAL USE OF LIME

The use of lime as fertilizer dates
from the inception of modern scientific
farming. Agricultural chemists have
shown that there are FIVE or six different
functions which lime may perform to
benefit soil, which may be summarized
briefly as follows:
/. 1t is an essential element of plant
food.
,. 1t aids in the conversion of decay
ing OF organic matter into humus.
3. 1t forms compounds with the hu-
mic acids which tend to prevent their
being leached out of the soil and lost.
t. By producing proper sanitary con-
ditions the growth of injurious bacteria
is largely prevented, while the growth of
nitrifying bacteria is encouraged. These
nltrifyiug bacteria convert the nitrogen
of the humus into such form that it is
available as plant food.
5. Lime aids in the liberation of pot
ash and phosphorus from inert com
pounds.
g. 1t tends to focculate clay soils,
rendering them granular and mere por-
GUS.
Obviously, permanent results can not
be expected unless care is taken to in
sure the presence of some organic fertil
izer at all times Lime used alone may
be temporarily beneficial but will event
ually be harmful when used with cow
pea vines it becomes more efficient for
general purposes than almost any other
fertilizer. OF 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 are stated by
the Department of Agriculture to be
benefited by lime. are spinach, lettuce,
beet, celery, onion, cucumber. canta-
loupe, asparagus. cabbage, peanut, rhu
barb. pea, pumpkin, bean, tobacco, al
falfa, clover, barley, wheat, oats tirno-
thy, gooseberry, currant, orange, ounce.
and cherry. Indian corn is only slightly
benefited.
Plants which are said to be slightly
njured by lime are cotton tomato, COW
pea, concord grape, peach apple, and
pear, and those really injured are rad
ish, fax, blackberry, raspberry, and
cranberry.
Whether soil will respond to lining
or not depends on the amount of avail
able calcium oxide which it already con-
tains. Probably the best indication of
the need of lime is the failure to obtain
good crop Of clover.
The question whether lime should be
applied to the soil as quicklime, hydra
ted lime, air Stacked lime, or ground
limestone is still the subject of gIeat
deal of controversy. The advocates of
ground limestone claim that the caustic
properties of quick or hydrated lime will
burn up and destroy the organic matter
in the soil, whereas limestone can be APP
piled in large quantities at long intervals
and will therefore produce more or less
permanent fertility. The advocates of
lime claim that one of the main func
tins 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 it; that the
frequent and iudicious use of lime, to-
gether with some organic fertilizer, will
bring immediate results. Of course the
local conditions of each particular case
must me considered before final con-
clusion can be reached. Thus it is ra
tional to use quicklime on soils which
are exceedingly rich in organic matter,
such as peaty or swampy soils. Lime
stone is safer that quicklime when ap-
piled just before planting crop which
is little helped by lining. or when applied
to light sandy soil in hot dry weather.
-(The Source, Manufacture and Use
of Lime, U. S. Geological Survey.)