MANURES AND FERTILIZERS. 143 



able, since by it latent plant food is made available, but 

 lime should not be used on light lands unless plenty of 

 vegetable matter also is present. Lime corrects the 

 acidity of soils by combining with any excess of acids 

 that may be present. It also, to some extent, acts upon 

 the mineral elements and sets free potash that would 

 not otherwise be available. 



Another characteristic of lime is that it improves 

 the texture of both light and heavy soil, but in entirely 

 different ways. It binds together the loose. particles of 

 light soils, making them more compact, increasing their 

 capacity to absorb and retain moisture, thus correcting 

 the waste features of such land. On heavy, especially 

 on clay, soils, it has an entirely different effect, as it 

 overcomes the tenacious nature of the land, causing the 

 particles to fall apart, thus promoting ease of cultivation 

 and the better development of plant roots. On cold, 

 wet lands it improves the mechanical condition of the 

 soil by making it lighter. It also corrects the acidity 

 usually present in wet soils, promotes nitrification, and 

 gives it life and energy. Almost any soil that becomes 

 hard and compact can be improved by a moderate use of 

 lime. On tobacco lands it is not used now as much as 

 in former years, although it is resorted to whenever the 

 mechanical condition of the soil requires it. 



How to Apply Lime. The power of lime to liberate 

 dormant plant food is very great and fully understood, 

 and where land has been heavily dressed with manures 

 for a number of years, an application of lime produces 

 very favorable results. On this account it was formerly 

 the custom to make quite a heavy application at inter- 

 vals of three or four years, but it is now believed that 

 small, annual applications are better. On the general 

 run of lands, 500 pounds is ample, and more often one 

 cask per acre is used. Nova Scotia lime, such as is used 

 for building purposes, is the best. Some advocate the 



