Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-11-16

USE OF Lime

The use of lime az fertilizer dates
from the inception Of modern scientific
farming Agricultural chemists have
shown that there are FIVE or six differ
ent functions which lime may perform
to benefit a soil, which may be sum-
married briefly as follows:
]. 1t Is an essential element of plant
food.
2. It aids in the conversion OF de-
caying organic matter into humus.
8. 1t forms compounds with the
humic 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 nitrifying bacteria convert the
nitrogen of the humus into such a
form that it is available as a plant
food.
5. Lime aids in the liberation of
potash and PHOSPHORUS from inert
compounds.
6. It tends to fiocculate clay soils.
rendering them granular and more
porous.
Obviously, permanent results can not
be expected unless care is taken to in
sure the presence of some organic fer
tilizer at all times. Lime used alone
may be temporarily beneficial but will
eventually be harmful; when used with
cowpea vines it 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 stated by the Department
of Agriculture to be benefited by lime,
are spinach, lettuce, beet, celery, onion,
cucumber, cantaloupe, asparagus, cab
bage, peanut, rhubarb, pea, pumpkin,
bean, tobacco, alfalfa, clover, barley,
wheat, oats, timothy. gooseberry, cur
rant, orange. ounce, and cherry. In
dian corn is only slightly benefited.
Plants which are said to be slightly
injured by lime are cotton, tomato.
cowpea, concord grape, peach, apple,
and pear, and those really injured are
radish, flax, black berry, black rasp
berry, and cranberry.
Whether a soil will respond to lining
or not depends on the amount of avail
able CALCIUM oxide which it already
contains. Probably the best indication
of the need of lime is the failure to
obtain a good crop of clover.
The question whether lime should be
applied to the soil as quicklime, hyd-
rated lime, air-slaked lime, or ground
limestone Is still the subject of a great
deal of controversy. The advocates CT
ground limestone claim that the caus-
tic properties of quick or hydrated
time will burn up and destroy the or
ganic matter in the soil, whereas lime
stone can be applied in large quaint
ties at long intervals and. will there
fore produce a more or less permanent
fertility. The advocates of lime claim
that one of the main functions which
lime has to perform is the destruction
of the organic matter and the liberia
ton of the nitrogen in such a form
that the plant can use it; that the fire.
gether with some organic fertilizer, will
bring immediate results. OF course the
local conditions of each particular case
must be considered before final con-
clusion can be reached. Thus. 1t Is
rational to use quicklime on soils which
are exceedingly rich in organic matter.
such as peaty or swampy Soils Lime
stone Is safer than quicklime when
applied just before planting crop
which is little helped by lining, or
when applied to light sandy soil in
hot dry weather.-CThe Source, Manu-
facture, and Use Of Lime. Us s. Geo.
logical Survey)