to the best interest of the lime buyer to look to the moisture content 

 of the product especially in the case of the so-called waste limes, 

 which are by-products of factories and are often exposed to rain. 



Find out Moisture Content of Waste Lime 



I bought a carload of lime refuse from a sugar-beet factory, paying 

 less than a dollar a ton. The freight was nearly two dollars a ton. 

 It was excellent lime. I thought it was cheap. It looked dry, but 

 was not dusty in fact, it felt just a little damp when handled. I 

 had it analyzed. I could hardly believe it when told that it was 

 pure lime carbonate but contained forty per cent moisture! It was 

 very expensive lime when you consider that in a twenty-ton car 

 eight tons were water, on which I had paid sixteen dollars freight. 



Ground Limestone Most Commonly Used 



Ground limestone rock may come in several grades of fineness 

 the best grade and highest-priced grade being that ground to the 



Fig. 21. A Portable Lime Grinder in Action. 



Lime rock which analyzes above 90 per cent carbonates and is easily 

 quarried may be cooperatively ground with portable grinders. 



fineness of dust. This latter quality gives the quickest returns, 

 and less needs to be applied. When freight rates are an important 

 item and long hauls are necessary it is best to buy the highest grade 

 because of the smaller amount needed. 



A larger amount of coarse ground limestone must be used, but 

 if it can be laid down on the farm at low cost, both for the product 

 and for transportation, it will prove satisfactory and economical if 

 not too coarse. 



Use Lump Lime with Care 



Fresh lump lime may be the cheapest to use, especially with 

 long hauls from the station and high freight costs. Fresh lime is 

 lime in a concentrated form. One ton of it is equal to two tons of 

 the best ground limestone or air-slaked lime. It is always free of 

 excess moisture. But it is caustic. It burns. If applied directly 

 to the soil it may burn out the humus and injure the soil fertility. It 

 should be used with care, especially when soils are lacking in humus 

 or organic matter. It is unpleasant to handle. 



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