The Bulletin 9 



are suited for agricultural pui-jDoses. The circular thus aids in mystify- 

 ing the farmer on the subject of agricultural lime. 



At the bottom of page 4 we find this statement : '< If a heavy growth 

 Of some green manure crop is turned under, especially in the 

 spring, an application of lime or marl should first be made in order 

 to prevent the formation and accumulation of a large amount of 

 organic acids in the soil by the rotting of the crop turned under." 

 From the best evidence at hand, the only man who can wisely follow 

 this advice, for the reasons offered, is the man who has wet lands (and 

 here an application of drainage is likely to give better results than an 

 application of marl), or lands that are already heavily charged with 

 organic matter and are, in addition to this, water-logged throughout most 

 of the year ; and even here the use of lime is largely unnecessary for the 

 purpose named, as it is the old, not the new, organic matter that pro- 

 duces the acids. On well drained, thoroughly aerated, upland soils the 

 decaying organic matter does not produce acids, but alkalis, in the form 

 of ammonia, in the early stages of decay; and this ammonia counteracts 

 any organic acid produced simultaneously with its evolution. Well 

 drained upland soils that are well supplied with organic matter are 

 rarely excessively acid, as every farmer knows; and lime used on these 

 soils should be used for an entirely different purpose from that of 

 correcting acidity. 



On page 5 we find : '^If carbonate of lime (ground limestone or 

 ground oyster shells) be used, it may go on in the spring with less 

 danger of injury to the seed of the crop than when either of the two 

 forms mentioned above is used." Here the idea is clearly given that 

 there is danger of mjuring the seed of certain crops hy their coming in 

 contact with ground limestone or marl. It is hardly probable that any 

 intelligent agriculturalist in the world would corroborate this idea. The 

 idea is entirely erroneous and gravely misleading, as ground limestone 

 and marl have no injurious effect whatever on any seed of any crop 

 known. On the other hand, burned lime is injurious to seeds or any 

 other organic matter with which it comes in contact. 



On the same page we find this expression: "The carbonate or air- 

 slaked form of lime does not act as energetically as do the quick 

 and water-slaked forms." Here, the idea is clearly given that car- 

 bonate of lime and air-slaked lime are one and the same thing, which 

 is not correct. Air-slaked lime, according to Van Slyke, is highly caus- 

 tic, whereas carbonate of lime Avill not corrode or burn any organic 

 matter whatever. 



On page 6 is found this stntomeiit: "Never mix lime, especially in 

 the caustic or water-slaked forms, with any material containing 

 ammonia before applying it to the soil, because the lime would tend 

 to set free and thus lose some of the ammonia in the atmosphere. 



