682 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [15 Nov., 1919. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF LIME IN AGRICULTURE. 



By Temple A. J. Smith, Tobacco Expert. 



One of tlie most important factors required to make a success of 

 agricultural pursuits by soldier settlers and others is a plentiful supply 

 of cheap lime. There is abundant evidence that such is the case, and 

 as many of the returned men are taking up small holdings of from 5 to 

 20 acres for market gardening and intense farming, steps should be 

 taken to insure an ample supply of lime at as cheap a cost as possible. 



The majority of these small holdings are situated near the city, and 

 consist of sandy soils naturally deficient in this important element. No 

 soil is complete without a fair percentage of available lime, and it is 

 almost impossible for any soil devoted to intense culture to contain too 

 much. 



To keep a soil sweet and in proper condition to produce legumiinous 

 and other crops to the fullest advantage, lime should be used in quanti- 

 ties of from half a ton to 5 tons per acre, and such applications would 

 very often mean the difference between success and failure. It is not 

 intended to suggest that lime only is required, but it is certainly one of 

 the first treatments any soil should receive, where such soil is known 

 to be wanting in this particular element. 



The effects of liming are many and various, and are not as fully 

 realized as should be the case. 



Liming neutralizes acid in the soil, and makes it more alkaline, 

 reducing the amount of sorrel and greatly increasing the growth of 

 pease, beans, lucenie, and all other crops. It causes nitrification to a 

 greater extent, thus providing more nitrogen — one of the most necessary 

 plant foods — for the crop's benefit. In addition, liming sets free the 

 otherwise locked up potash in the soil, and so allows the crop the us€ 

 of another important plant food that might without liming be unused. 

 Applications of lime kill the larvae of insects, and so save much loss to 

 market gardeners in time and material. 



Soil temperatures are raised where lime is applied, and quicker 

 growth naturally follows. The quality of both green feed and vegetables 

 is better where there is sufficient lime available, and provided fertilizers 

 are used in proper quantities, the soil will go on producing for a longer 

 period. The mechanical effect of lime is also valuable, as it renders 

 a clay soil more friable by drawing together the smaller particles, so 

 making the land more easily worked; in a sandy soil it has the opposite 

 effect, closing it and making it hold moisture better. Lime in itself 

 has an affinity for moisture, and its presence enables the soil to retain 

 moisture longer and to a greater extent. 



There are three kinds of lime on the market, all of which are more 

 costly to the fanner than they should be. One is burnt lime — limestone 

 from which the moisture has been expelled by heat. This form of 

 lime is valuable for swamp lands, especially those containing large 

 amounts of undecomposed vegetable matter, whioh it assists in breaking 

 dowTi, and thus renders such soils useable much earlier than if left to 



