5^6 JiHinial (>] Agnciilturc, \ ictorui. [lo Oct., 1912. 



essential fertility of such as they contained naturally; then the use of super- 

 phosphate was advised and became general. Now, the increase in market 

 value of land demands that its productive value must be increased also; and 

 the continuous cropping and the use of superphosphate has tended to a 

 '■ stiffening "" and " souring " of the soil, which demands that further assi.st- 

 tance shall be given in the maintenance of fertility. One of the directions 

 — and there are doubtless many, but in each case the cost or value ratio will 

 be the prime consideration — in which this assistance may be given is in the 

 judicious use of lime, at all events for the soils of certain districts. 



As with the use superphosphate in the past, and as is inevitable for the 

 amelioration of at present inferior soils by under-drainage in the future, so 

 the liming of land is one of those refinements of agricultural practice which 

 is always brought about whenever production has to be pushed in order to 

 square increase of cost or compensate for competition. 



It has been said repeatedly that the main thing standing in the way of 

 the general use of lime was its cost. Not so much its initial or actual cost 

 as the cost of carriage on the railways. Doubtless there is much in this con- 

 tention, and the example of some American railway companies, and of the 

 Government of New Zealand, in carrying lime at a loss, might well be 

 followed by the Railways Commissioners of this State. The increased 

 freightage resulting from the more abundant production following on the 

 use of lime would doubtless amply compensate the loss. That there are 

 other factors, however, operating against the more general use of lime in 

 agriculture is obvious when last year's experience of the Maffra Sugar Fac- 

 tory is related. The factory had some hundreds of tons of high class lime 

 on hand, as a by-product of the manufacturing operations. Failing to 

 secure local buyers, attention was drawn to it by paragraphs in the daily 

 papers, and it was advertised in the weekly agricultural press for two 

 months at los. per ton in bags f.o.r. Maffra. Not a single application or 

 offer was received, and such as was not required for departmental use was 

 ultimately disposed of in one line to a Lyndhurst farmer at 4s. per ton. 



One of the means of lessening the carriage cost of lime would be the 

 opening up of lime quarries that could be practically worked in as many 

 different localities as possible, so that each district requiring lime could be 

 served from the nearest deposit. There are. of course, scores of lime de- 

 posits throughout the State, but many of them are composed of an inferior 

 or unsuitable quality of lime. Others are of high quality, but .so small in 

 exterit as to be worthless to work, and others again, suitable as regards 

 quality and extent, are so awkwardly situated as to be impossible of ex- 

 ploitation. 



In October last year, and as a step concurrent with the initiation of 

 district liming experiments, this Department .sought the aid of the Geological 

 Branch of the Mines Department as to the location of lime deposits through- 

 out the State of a character that could be profitably worked for agricultural 

 purposes. In response the Mines Department furnished the report published 

 herewith, which may be regarded as both valuable and accurate, compiled 

 as it is from the researches of such men as those whose names are attached 

 to it. 



Equally important as the matter of initial and carriage cost, and pos 

 sibly in a greater degree accounting for the small extent to which lime is at 

 present used, is the uncertainty of knowledge as to the exact nature and re- 

 lative value of the different limes available, and the uncertainty of know- 

 ledge of the effect of lime in different districts, for different soils, in small 

 or large quantities, for different crops, at long or short intervals, and so 



