Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-09-16
Data Relative to Lime

A good deal of interest is evil
denced from time to time in lime as
a soil amendment. 1t is an indirect
fertilizing material, influencing the
through its effect on the soil more
than through directly supplying an
essential element of plant food. Ma
terials of this character are classed,
therefore, as soil stimulants, amend
ments or tonics. For some time we
have labored under the impression
that the three principal elements of
plant food required in our soils
were nitrogen, phosphoric acid and
potash These are still as necessary
as ever but recent investigations
tend to indicate that some of the
tilizers exert a very beneficial in
fluence on crop production. Of these
materials there appears to be moth
ing more important than lime.
Lime may be applied to our soils
in one Of several forms. For long
time it was considered advisable to
use only the burned or slaked lime,
because it was believed that this proc
ess of handling was necessary IN
order to make it serve the purpose
it was intended to serve in the soil.
Recent Investigations and practices
have tended to establish the fact
that raw ground limestone rock may
be made as serviceable to our farm
crops as the burned rock. Under
the old theory it was necessary first
to take the rock, break it up, burn
it and then before applying it to
the soil go through some method Go OF
shaking it so as to make it suffi-
GENTLY fine to distribute it salts.
factorily. The caustic, biting or
freshly burned lime was unpleas-
ant and difficult to handle. 1t irri-
tated both the animals used to
haul the distributor and the atten-
dant as we'll 1t was almost imme-
diately changed on being incorpor
ated in the soil into a less active
form and hence if some means might
be devised for using the crushed
rock directly it is self-evident what
tremendous advantages would be
gained by this arrangement. Ma
turally lime rock can be ground,
loaded on the cars and distributed
to our farm lands at a lower cost
and with less inconvenience and
trouble thanrwould be true of burned
lime, so that it appears practicable
for one to apply twice as much per
| acre of the raw ground rock at the
same cost as of the burned or bit
ing variety of lime. On the other
hand, tests appear to indicate that
it takes about twice as much of
the raw rock to exert the same rel
alive influence in the soil as would
of the burned rock. In spite of this,
however. the advantages of using
the raw rock appear now to be SO
well justified that preference is be-
| ing given to it in relation to the
production of such farm crops as
| are benefited by it's use.
In the south we have only recent
| 1y come to appreciate the value and
necessity of using lime. This has
| been brought home to us through
| efforts made to improve our lands
| through the general cultivation of
| legumes. This whole family of
| plants are fond of lime and in many
| instances we have failed to produce
| them satisfactorily because of the
| absence of lime in many of our
| soils. In other soils lime has been
| found in considerable abundance, but
it appears to be combined in such
forms as to make it practically I'M
doubt many of our farmers will re-
call the special efforts they made
to establish alfalfa during the last
| twenty-five years and what a large
percentage of failures attended
their efforts. 1t is not so uncom-
here or there in the southeastern
states. In every instance it will be
found that one reason of the sue
cess obtained by the individual
! landowner in the cultivation OF this
crop is due to the fact that he
lined his land literally before seed
ing it to alfalfa.
The facts in the case being as in
dictated the burden of the sugges-
lions made relative to the use of
lime will be confined to the appli-
cation, therefore, of the finely
ground raw rock. Naturally lime is
valuable in proportion to the per
i cent of calcium carbonate it con-
tains. though there may be occa-
sions and instances in which a con-
siderable percentage of magnesium
oxide will not be Objectionable. OF
course, there are varying grades OF
limestone on the market. Most OF
those available for use in Georgia
we think will prove fairly salts
factory if intelligently and skill.
fully applied to the crops which re-
quire calcium in order to insure their
best development While we would
not exclude, therefore, lime rock