IDEAL FERTILIZERS 13 



Chapter IV 



Lime 



We are all interested in lime as a base. Most of our 

 soils are acid and we wonder what form of lime to use, 

 how much, and when to apply. All forms of free lime 

 eventually revert to carbonate of lime, the form found 

 in the original limestone. 



Crushed Limestone This, as the name signifies, is the 

 natural limestone crushed. It is the best and most eco- 

 nomical form to use on our sandy loams ; best, because 

 it is the nearest like a natural deposit; economical, be- 

 cause it has had no expensive preparation and can be 

 sold cheap in bulk by car lots of fifteen or more tons. 

 Two or three tons per acre is the usual application. 

 Under ordinary conditions this amount will put the land 

 in good growing condition and leave enough surplus to 

 meet current demands for about four years. It has been 

 estimated that the usual chemical reactions taking place 

 in fertile soil cause a loss each year of about 500 pounds 

 of lime per acre. 



Quick, Caustic or "Rock" Lime Rock lime is ninde 

 by burning limestone. The carbon dioxide is driven out 

 by intense heat. One hundred pounds of limestone make 

 fifty-six pounds of rock lime which furnishes the same 

 amount of base as the original one hundred pounds of 



