ix.] LIME 309 



effect of lime is not very persistent, and the dressing 

 must be repeated ; as the farmers say, the "lime sinks in 

 the land," i.e., carbonate of lime is removed from the 

 surface soil by solution as bicarbonate. 



In carrying out the operation of " liming," the aim 

 should be to ensure as fine a division as possible, so as 

 to incorporate the material intimately with the soil. In 

 some cases the lime is thrown out in heaps ^pn the 

 stubbles in autumn, and slaked by pouring on water, 

 the hot slaked powder into which the quicklime falls 

 being immediately spread over the land. This method 

 only answers with " fat " limes, which slake and fall 

 readily to a dry powder ; a better method is to lay up 

 the quicklime in heaps and cover the heaps with soil, 

 in which case the lime slakes gradually to a fine powder 

 that can be spread before the plough. It is not wise 

 to spread the quicklime over the land, as much of 

 it, after slaking and becoming carbonated, remains in 

 lumps which cannot be reduced to a powder. 



The expense of liming in this fashion is consider- 

 able, and as the action is not immediate, owing to the 

 difficulty of getting the material mixed with the soil, 

 it is desirable to replace it, if possible, by a cheaper 

 process. This has been attained by the use of ground 

 lime, which is at the present time prepared by most 

 lime works for the use of builders ; 5 cwt. of ground 

 lime per acre, distributed by a manure barrow or by 

 one of the artificial manure distributors now manu- 

 factured, will be found more effective for one or two 

 seasons than ten or twelve times as much applied in 

 the old-fashioned method. Of course such a small 

 dressing of ground lime requires renewing more fre- 

 quently ; but, as the expense is comparatively trifling, 

 both for labour and material, as compared with the 

 older process, it may be hoped that on many soils this 



