The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1914-11-16
Agricultural Uses 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 a soil.
which may be summarized briefly as
follows:
1. It is an essential element of
plant food.
2. 1t 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 cut of the soil
and lost.
4. By producing proper sanitary
conditions the growth of injurious
bacteria is largely prevented, while
the growth of nitrifying bacteria is
encouraged. These nitrifying bac-
terra convert the nitrogen of the hui
mus into such a form that it is avail
as plant food.
S. Lime aids in the liberation OF
potash and phosphorus from inert
compounds.
6. It tends to focculate clay
coils, rendering them granular and
more porous.
Obviously, permanent results can
not be expected unless care is taken
to insure the presence of some or
ganic fertilizer at all times. Lime
used alone may be temporarily bene-
fetal. but will eventually be harm
full; when used with cowpea vines,it
becomes more efficient for general
purposes than almost any other fer
tilizer. OF course, lime is not bene-
fetal to all crops to the same ex-
tent 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, eel
cry, onion, cucumber, cantaloupe, Jas
paragus, cabbage, peanut. rhubarb,
pea, pumpkin. bean. tobacco, alfalfa,
clover, barley. wheat, oats. timothy,
gooseberry, currant, orange, ounce,
and cherry. Indian corn is only
slightly benefited.
Plants which are said to be slight
ly injured by lime are cotton. toma-
to. cowpea. concord grape, peach,
apple, and pear, and those really in
jured are radish, fax, blackberry.
black raspberry, and cranberry.
Whether a soil will respond to
lining or not depends on the amount
of available calcium oxide which it
already contains. Probably the best
indication of the need of lime is the
failure to obtain good crop of clo-
yer.
The question whether lime should
be applied to the soil as quicklime,
hydrated lime, air-slaked lime, or
ground limestone is still the subject
of great 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 ap-
piled in large quantities at long in
tervaIs and will therefore 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
porganic matter and the liberation of
the nitrogen In such q form that the
plant can use It; that the frequent
and judicious use Of lime. together
with some organic fertilizer. will
bring immediate results. OF course,
the local conditions of each particu-
lar case must be considered before
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 when applied just be-
fore planting a crop which is little
helped by lining. or when applied to
a light sandy soil in hot. dry wealth
er.-(The Source. Manufacture, and
Use of Lime. U. 8. Geological Sur
vey.)