Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1916-10-20
SOME OF THE EFFECTS OF LIME
IN TIE SOIL.
(By II. r. Wall, County Apcnt.)

(By r. Il. Wall, County Agcnt.)
Az the present time limo is being
used extensively over many parts OF
the country with the idea of improving
crops. In most cases its use has re-
suited in extremely economical i'm.
crease of crop yiolds For tins rcn.
son its use is increasing rapidly. This
u desirable, provided II is used intel
ligcntly with the proper iilngc meth
obs, rotations and fertilizer treat
mcnts. The relation of these things
to the use of lime Will not be discuss
ed here. IL is sufficient for the pres
cnt to state that lime is not used
Tor it's value M n fertilizer ns many
are disposed to think. Plants do use
small amounts of lime as food, but
there are very few soils which do not
contain sufficient lime for what the
plant needs for food. The true bcnc-
Its OF lime To the soil and crop nrc
not direct but indirect and are chiefly
three in number. IL is the purpose
of the writer to discuss two of these
briefly.
First to be considered is the effect
of lime upon the physical and me
chanical condition of the soil. The
physical condition of the soil and it's
texture are very important, ms all
know, with reference to it's suitnbi-
lty for crops, to stand wet weather
or n drouth. In wet weather il mny
hold too much water, while in drouth
1t mny not hold water properly. Some
clay soils tend to hold too much wat
er while sandy soils often lose water
too rapidly, either due to drainage or
evaporation. These conditions are
modified by the use of lime. The pnr-
ticles of clay which nrc very fine are
bound together, making the soil more
open, porus, and less likely to bnlte,
easier to work and more suitable for
the growth of plants because plant
roots need mir and ventilation. No
doubt the reader has observed the
fine effects of lime upon the crops
and texture of the soil when applied
to heavy clay fields. On the other
hand, the loose sand grains are bound
together and made to hold more mois-
turc. Since sandy soils seldom get too
wet unless poorly under drained, this
is n very desirable effect
Lime makes the soil "sweet," and
this condition is necessary for the
growth of many of the beneficial soil
bacteria. AS many know certain bac-
terra live on decaying plants in the
soil, decomposing and changing them
so that they may be used by plants
Tor food. The process by which this
takes place is known as nitrification,
and for it to take place rapidly the
presence of lime is very necessary.
Another kind of beneficial bacteria
which work best in sweet soil are
those which live on the roots of leg
umes, such rs clover, alfalfa and SOW
beans. The good work of these bac-
terra can not be taken up here in de-
tail, but it is sufficient to say that
they gather nitrogen from the soil
air. and store il in the tuberoles or
nodulcs which the farmer has so of
ten seen on the roots of legumcs.
These nodules form an excellent
plant food and take the place of GER
tain fertilizers which would otherwise
have to be bought. The growth of
some bacteria is checked by lime, an
example being the disease known as
club root of cabbage.