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STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



of the boiling would be that called for by the formula used. Samples 

 from each lot were drawn off and freed from sediment by filtration while 

 hot, and when cold were analyzed. The results are expressed in per cent 

 by volume. 



A study of the above two tables shows that the total sulfur in solution 

 bears a relation to the percentage of magnesium oxide in the lime, that is, 

 the higher the percentage of magnesium oxide in the lime used, the 

 lower the percentage of sulfur in solution and the higher the percentage 

 of calcium oxide in the lime used, the higher the percentage of sulfur in 

 solution. 



If we arrange the samples according to the amount of total sulfur in 

 solution we have them in the order 2, 6, 3, 1, 4, and 5. If we arrange 

 them according to the amounts of magnesium oxide in the limes used, we 

 have the order 5, 1, 4, 3, G and 2, which, with the exception of samples 1 

 and 4, is the above order reversed. Samples 1 and 4 are very nearly 

 alike, both in the amount of total sulfur in solution and the amount of 

 magnesium oxide in the limes used, and as the variation is small it is 

 not strange that, in the case of these two samples, the order is not re- 

 versed. This may have been brought about by a slight variation in the 

 amount of steam condensation in the two cases, which variation would 

 cause a corresponding variation in the concentration of the solutions. 



This evident relationship between the amount of sulfur present and the 

 percentage of magnesia in the lime might be due to a harmful effect 

 of the magnesia or it might be due to the fact that when a definite for- 

 mula is used, such as the 50-100-50 formula, the percentage of calcium 

 oxide is cut down in the exact ratio in which the magnesium oxide is 

 present. That is to say, if we weigh out 50 pounds of lime containing 

 50 per cent of magnesium oxide, instead of having 50 pounds of calcium 

 oxide we really have only 25 pounds. This matter will be more fully 

 discussed in another place. 



From the above data no conclusion can be drawn as to which of the 

 two formulae is the better. In each case, since the lime used is never 

 pure calcium oxide, the sulfur is in excess. In some cases it is found 

 that formula A gives the larger amount of soluble sulfur, and in other 



