lo Oct.. 1 9 1 -J 



'[' he I'ractiLL oj Liming. 



6i 



therefore it cannot take the place of lime in acid soils. It has a \alue for 

 stiff clay soils, and under certain circumstances for potash loving plants 

 like clover and lucerne, but it will not relieve a soil of its sourness. More- 

 over, as a source of calcium, it is very expensive, containing but 34 per 

 cent, of lime, and therefore worth about 8s. per ton compared with present 

 market values of the other forms. 



With regard to the remaining forms of lime, viz.: — lime (carbonate), 

 and quicklime (oxide), much depends on the cost and the nature of the 

 soil to which the compounds are applied. The relative cost of ground lime- 

 stone and burnt lime has already been discussed. 



It may be said that to the farmer in outlying districts, remote from lime- 

 stone quarries, where freights must enter into consideration, the most con- 

 centrated form, i.e. burnt lime, will be cheapest. In the neighbourhood of 

 marl pits and quarries, ground limestone or mar] will probal)ly be the most 

 •economical form to use. 



-LIMESPKEADER ATTACHED TO A FARM DRAY, 



On stiff clay soils. i)eatv lands, and reclaimed swamps, burnt lime is 

 most efficacious. On other soils, carbonate of lime will give more beneficial 

 and more lasting results. 



The most extensive investigation ever made into the relative merits of 

 burnt lime and ground limestone, in comparative tests, is that conducted 

 by the Pennsylvania Experimental Station. Equivalent quantities of lime 

 in the form of ground limestone and burnt lime were u.sed e\ery four years, 

 and, as a result of 25 vears' work. Dr. Frear says — " The yields from car- 

 bonate of lime (ground limestone) showed superiority under the conditions 

 of this experiment over those following the application of an equivalent 

 application of caustic lime." 



Precautions to be Observed in using Lime. 



Several matters need to be guarded against in applying lime — (i) Lime 



has a constructive and a destructive effect on the soil. Its constructive effect 



is observed in the correction of soil aciditv, the stimulation of leguminous 



growth in the pastures, the promotion of nitrification and other liacterial 



