•Experiments with Lime on Acid Soils. 



The very interesting results obtained with lince on sandy, 

 upland soils in Rhode Island* suggested to the writer, that a 

 similar acid condition might exist in our sandy Gulf coast 

 soils, and be the cause of the peculiar behavior of some vegeta- 

 ble crops in that region. f Through the cooperation of Mr. A. 

 W. Orr of Deer Park, Washington County, Ala., the Station 

 has been able to make some preliminary investigations on the 

 effect of lime on these soils, the results of which are herewith 

 presented. They are in no sense final, but they seem suggest- 

 ive and interesting enough to warrant publication at this 

 time. The work so far done includes some experiments in the 

 greenhouse here with soils shipped from Deer Park, and field 

 experiments conducted at Deer Park by Mr. Orr, whose report 

 forms a part of this bulletin. 



EXPERIMENTS AT AUBURN. 



The samples of soil were received here on December 2, 

 1896. No. 1 was the ordinary upland soil of the coast region, 

 quite sandy, and rather deficient in humus. No. 2, the so called 

 "Savannah Land" was a light gray sandy loam These 

 "Savannahs" are low lying, level, treeless expanses, usually 

 too wet for cultivation without drainage. They are character- 

 istic of the coast region, and are only considered fit for culti- 

 vation to rice or sugar cane^ No. 3 was a stiff black soil from 

 a swampy "hammock" — the low lying timbered lands along- 

 small streams. The three samples represent the prevailing 

 types of Qoast soils. All of them gave a prompt and decided 

 acid reaction with litmus paper. A portion of each lot was 

 fertilized with cottonseed meal and placed in a shallow box, 

 20x36 inches, having a partition dividing it into two equal 

 parts. On one side of the partition in each box a quantity of 

 slacked lime was dug into the soil, the other side being left 

 without lime. The boxes were watered and left on the green 



* See Bull. 46' of the Rhode Island Experiment Station, and Annual 

 Reports for 1894, 1895 and 1896 



t See Bull. 37 of the Mississippi Experiment Station, "Fiuits and 

 Vegetables on the Gulf Coast." 



