The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-10-23

resulting product would be known as
burnt" lime commercially, the chem.
ical name being Calcium oxide" For
every hundred pounds of carbonate
that is burned, forty-four pounds OF
carbolic acid gas is driven off leaV-
ing fifty-six pounds OF calcium oxide.
Should this fifty-siX pounds OF Gale
ium oxide or burnt lime be moistened
with sufficient water and not toe
much so that no surplus water is left
unused, it would form another combin
alton or product known as slaked
lime, and weigh seventy-four pounds
The chemical name for this form is
calcium hydroxide. If this Stacked
lime is exposed to the air for a long
time, it would gradually absorb car
bonic acid and change back into the
same combination as ground lime
tone. 1t is known as "air-slaked
lime, and except as it is apt to be
more finely ground, by reason of its
having being slaked, it is of no more
value than ground limestone.
With the above information at
hand, the consideration arises what
kind Of lime shall be used for apply.
ing on soils? What one seeks is to
secure the cheapest and most effect.
i've form. To determine this two
main considerations are necessary:
first. what is the comparative value
of the different kinds, and second,
what action on the soil is expected
or sought. Several factors influence
the value Of lime, among which are
the amount of calcium oxide contain.
ed, the fineness to which the product
is ground, and the treatment neces-
sary in applying to soils. 1t is easy
to make the mistake of believing that
the lime costing the least per ton is
the cheapest. Seldom is this the
case, however. Under ordinary cir
cumstances burnt lime contains more
or less impurities so that hardly ever
is there more than ninety-eight
pounds calcium oxide to the hundred.
Slaked lime seldom contains over
seventy pounds while ground lime
analizes about so per cent. calcium
oxide. If burnt lime cost $3.50 per
ton delivered the cost per pound of
calcium oxide would be a little over
thirty-eight hundredths of n cent,
While if the ground limestone cost
$3.50 per ton delivered the cost of
calcium oxide per pound would be
forty-fve hundredths of cent Since
a given amount of calcium oxide has
the same value in the different forms
of lime when applied to soils, it will
require no mathematician TO discover
which of the two lines in the above
examples is the cheaper In determ-
lining the relative value of lime in
other cases all that is necessary to
do is to multiply the percentage Of
calcium oxide in the lines in ques-
ton by twenty, the number of hund.
red weight in a ton, and divide the
cost per ton by the total number Of
pounds calcium exide in ton This
gives the cost per pound and conse-
quently allows accurate comparison.
A small difference in cost per pound
means large one per ton. The saw
ing per ton gained by purchasing the
burnt lime in the above example
would be 1892.
The finer lime is ground the more
effective it will be when applied to
soils. This is an important point and
the farmer should be careful TO see
that the lime he purchases is finely
ground or can be made so. Lime is
not quickly soluble in the soil, and it
is therefore necessary that it be com
posed of very fine particles so that
it may be thoroughly distributed in
the soil. Slaked lime is usually the
finest form.
The value of lime, besides being
dependent upon the amount of cal
cium oxide contained, and the fine
ness to which it is ground, is further
dependent upon the cost involved in
applying it to the soil Burnt lime
in the form of Jumps needs to be slak
ed before spreading upon the land
This means an extra expense and
should not be overlooked. Ground
limestone and slaked lime are us
ually in condition to apply with a
drill. There is on the market a Ger.
tain burnt lump ground into particles
which is ready to apply to soils
This is known as "granulated' lime
The graduates in shaking in the soil
break up into a very fine powder.
While lime acts as a plant food il
is very seldom a soil becomes so de.
ficient that there is not enough lime
to meet all plant food requirements
It's chief action is that of overcom
ing soil acidity. This is matter OF
Importance with most farm crops
corn and redtop being least affected
while alfalfa and clover stand at the
head of these crops requiring lime
Lime is very beneficial to those corps
comprising the legume family, which
of course are of utmost value in
maintaining and increasing soil fertil
ity. Not only is lime of use in over
coming soil acidity, but it is also eff
fectiVe in making available manN