IX.j 



ACTION OF LIME 



255 



shows analyses of " grey " and " white " limes made from 

 chalk : — 



Table LXXVIII.— Analysis of Lime. 



Lime is best applied to the stubbles in the autumn 

 before ploughing in preparation for a root crop ; if 

 ground lime is used it may be sown broadcast with any 

 form of manure distributor, choosing a quiet morning 

 while the dew is still on the surface. 



Stone lime should be distributed in small heaps, 

 covered with a little earth and left for a week or two to 

 slake, under which conditions it will fall into a fine 

 powder. The heaps are then broken down and thrown 

 abroad before ploughing. 



The action of lime is partly physical, affecting the 

 texture of the soil, and partly chemical, setting free the 

 dormant reserves of plant food. 



On the strong soils the physical action of lime is 

 most manifest ; it acts by flocculating the finest clay 

 particles, causing them to aggregate into temporarily 

 larger units, and so making the soil effectively of coarser 

 texture. The soil thus becomes less retentive of 

 moisture ; percolation is increased, making the limed 

 land dryer and warmer, so that it admits of cultivation 

 earlier in the spring and is far more friable when dry. 



