498 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Tabic 1. WATER CONTENT AN1» WEIGHT Ol-' .M.M;i>. 



Sugar Factory Lime. Lime is used by sugar factories to clarify and 

 purify the juice and since impurities cause trouble later in the process 

 of refining a very high grade of lime is used. Milk of lime is added to 

 the vats of juice and then carbon dioxide is run in to precipitate the 

 lime as lime carbonate. This is later filtered out and discarded. This 

 material contains a small amount of organic matter from the beet juice 

 but otherwise is a very pure carbonate of lime and is admirable material 

 for applying to the soil. It can generally be purchased at a low cost 

 since it is simply a waste product. It very often contains water and 

 hence it should be bought by the yard rather than by the ton since a 

 cubic yard will contain about the same amount of lime carbonate whether 

 the material is wet or dry. 



There is another form of lime which may occasionally be obtained 

 from sugar factories. This is the cleanings from the kiln. Many of 

 the factories prefer to burn their own lime and when the kilns are 

 cleaned a quantity of impure burnt lime or sstone lime is obtained. This 

 material is variable in composition but is mostly quick lime when fresh ; 

 after standing a short time it contains a large amount of hydrated lime. 



Wood Ashes. In some localities wood ashes may be obtained in sufti- 

 cient quantities to apply to the soil. Ordinarily wood ashes contain 

 from 20 to 50 per cent of lime expressed as quick lime but t]iey are 

 usually applied to the soil as a source of potash. 



Lime from Acetone and Alkali WorJc,^. There are in the State various 

 acetone and alkali works which turn out lime as a by-product. This 

 material is usually of high grade, its chief drawback being a high-water 

 content if exposed to the elements. When it can be obtained near at 

 hand and at a low price it is sometimes more advisable to use such 

 products than to buy the more expensive forms of lime. The cost of 

 transportation and difficulty in distribution must be taken into con- 

 sideration when figuring the cost. 



CHANGES LIME UNDERGOES WHEN .iDDED TO THE SOIL. 



When the various forms of lime are added to the soil their composi- 

 tion is altered. The change that is now considered to be most desirable 



