The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1914-11-20
Agricultural Use Of Lime.

I The use Of lime as a fertilizer dates
from the inception Of modern scien-
tihc farming. Agricultural chemists
have shown that their are five orsix
different functions which lime may
perform to benefit a soil, which may
be summarized briefly as follows:
/. Il is an essential element Of
plant feed.
2, ltaidS in the conversion Of de-
caying organic matter into humus.
). 1t forms compounds with the
humic acids which tend to prevent
their being leaehed out OF the soil
and lost.
| 4. BY producing proper sanitary
conditions the growth Of injurious
bacteria is largely prevented. while
the growth Of nitrifYing baete-
ria is encouraged. These nitritying
bacteria convert the nitrogen Of the
humuS into such a form that il IS
available as a plant food.
s. Lime aids in the libgation Of
potash and phosphorus from inert
compounds.
8. lttends to flocculate clay soils,
rendering them granular and more
poruS.
Obviously, permanent results can
not be expected unless care is taken
to insure the presence Of some organic
fertilizer at all times. Lime used
alone may be temporarily beneficial
but will eventually be harmful; when
used with cowpea vines il becomes
more efficient for general purposes
than almost any other fertilizer. OF
course, lime is not beneficial to all
crops to the same extent, and not all
soils need lime. Thus, some OF the
common plants which are started BY
the Department Of Agriculture to be
benefited by lime are spinach, lettuce,
beet, celery, onion, cucumber, can
taloupe, asparagus, cabbage, peanut,
rhubarb, pea, pumpkin, bean, to-
bacco, alfalfa, clover, barley, wheat,
oats, timothy, gooseberry, eurrant,
orange, ounce and cherry. Indian
corn is only slightly benefited.
Plants which are said to be slight
ly injured by lime are cotton, tomato,
cowpeas, concord grape, peach, ap-
pie and pear, and those really injur-
ed are radish, flax, blackberry, black
raspberry and cranberry.
Whether a soil will respond to linn
ing o. not depends on the amount OF
available calcium oxide which it al
ready contains. Probably the best
indications 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'
hydrated lime, air-slacked lime OF
ground limestone is still the subject
of a great deal of controversy. The
advocates Of ground limestone claim
that the caustic properties Of quick
or hydrated lime will burn up anC
destroy the organic matter IN the
| soil. whereas limestone can be ap
piled in large quantities at long inter
walls and will therefore produce Z
more or less permanent fertility. Th'
advocates Of lime claim that one o
1.-THE main functions which lime ha'
to perform is the destruction Of tn
organic matter and the liberation 0
the nitrogen in such a form that tn
plant can use it; that the frequen
and judicious use Of lime, togethe
with some organic fertilizer, will brin
| immediate results. OF course tn
llocal conditions Of each particula
case must be considered before
final con nclusion can be reached
Thus, it is rational to use quicklim
on soils which is exceedingly rich
organic matter, such as peaty {
e swampy soils. Limestone is saf'
D than quicklime when applied ju'
before planting a crop which IS lit
helped by lining, or when apple
o to a light sandy soil in not dI
d weather er-(The Source, Manufac
d ure and Uus Of Lime, u. S. Geolol
i cal Survey.)
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