BY E. H. GURNEY. 



Therefore the consideration of the lime content of the 

 Queensland soils previously referred to will be of interest. 



In the Agricultural Chemist's report apj^earing in the 

 Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture and Stock, 

 1912, a standard to judge fertility in average soil is given, and 

 the j)ercentages of the soils coming within the different 

 limits jDrescribed by this standard are as follows :— 



From these figures it is seen that 25 per cent of the soils 

 contain only very small amounts of lime, but from these 

 figures it is not possible to judge how much of the lime 

 present is m a form capable of neutralizing soil aciditJ^ 



The reaction of these soils with litmus paper has been 

 determined, and the following table gives the percentage 

 of soil arranged according to their reaction with litmus 

 paper. 



Strongly Acid 13.0 % 



29.5 % 



25.8 % 



17.0 o/o 



6.4 % 



6.0 % 



2.2 % 



Acid 



Slightly Acid 

 Neutral 



Slightly Alkaline 

 Alkaline 

 Strongly Alkaline 



Thus 68 per cent, of these soils give an acid reaction 

 with litmus paper, and judging from this standpoint would 

 benefit by the application of lime. 



It is interesting to note here, that the above percentage 

 of acid soils corrresponds verj' closely to that found in the 

 soils of Wisconsin, U.S.A., as according to Whitson and 

 Weir*, two thirds of these soils are acid. Again in con- 

 nection with the soils of England, Murrayf writes : — 



*Soil Acidity and Liming. A. R. Whit^-on and W. W. Weir. 

 University of Wisconsin, Agri. Exp. Station Bull. No. 230, 1913. 

 tSoils and Manures. 



The 



