1680 Report of Farmers' Institutes 



tillage, of drainage, of humus, or of any other factor of soil 

 fertility. For this reason the terms " fertilizer lime " and " lime 

 fertilizer " are misnomers. Lime does not take the place of fer- 

 tilizers, animal or chemical. 



"When a soil hy its chemical reaction shows acidity, or when this 

 condition is indicated l)y the failure of leguminous crops, — espe- 

 cially red clover, where they formerly grew well, — the hest result 

 can not be obtained unless lime is used as a soil amendment along 

 with chemical and animal manures. Lime materials can furnish 

 only lime. They €an not make up for any deficiency in nitrogen, 

 phosphoric acid or potash. 



FUNCTIONS OF LIME 



The fact that lime is necessary to correct acidity has already 

 been dwelt upon ; but this is not its sole function. It promotes the 

 availability of phosphorus and potash, and is one of the essential 

 elements of plant food. It tends to make clay soils more porous 

 and sandy soils more compact. 



Acid compounds are constantly being formed in soils by the 

 decay of organic matter, by the application of some fertilizer, and 

 ill divers other ways. So long as there is enough lime in the soil 

 for such compounds to unite with, the soil is not acid and such acid 

 compounds do no damage to crops. In New York State many 

 soils are acid, and the time is coming soon when the available lime 

 in many others will be used. The acid conditions manifest them- 

 selves by the appearance of acid loving plants, such as sorrcll, paint 

 brush, moss, etc. Yearly, new fields show red with sorrell in May 

 and June, an almost infallable sign of lack of lime and of increas- 

 ing difficulty in the growing of leguminous crops. 



Lime is of prime importance in the maintenance of the supply of 

 soil nitrogen. This is a very practical problem. Nitrogenous fer- 

 tilizers are very expensive. Lime in the soil enables the farmer, 

 however, to use a greater degree than is otherwise possible, the 

 inexhaustible supply of nitrogen in the atm()S])here in crop pro- 

 duction. Leguminous plants — such as clover and alfalfa ■ — - 

 gather nitrogen from the air through the bacteria in the nodules 

 on their roots^ and the keeping up of the supply of soil nitrogen 



