Lime 



to the influence of the carbonic anhydride. In 

 large blocks this surface obviously will be reduced, 

 being practically nil in good lime. The finer the 

 lime is pulverised the greater will it be, and in 

 ground quicklime, which has been stored a long 

 time, the carbonisation will be almost complete. 



Lime must be slaked on the ground where it is 

 to be used. To ensure this it should be put in 

 small heaps on the field, about seven yards apart 

 each way. They must be covered with earth to 

 exclude the air. It is essential that this is done 

 before the lime should be slaked, which will be 

 accomplished in from two to seven days, sometimes 

 more, by the water in the soil. The lime is then 

 reduced to a fine powder and uniformly spread with 

 shovels. After spreading it is ploughed in at once. 



Lime is an essential plant food, and soils that 

 are naturally poor or that have become impoverished, 

 will never give good crops of clover, for example, 

 which at harvest contain about 45 lbs. of lime to 

 the ton. But most soils contain sufficient to satisfy 

 the requirements of the plants. On the other hand, 

 lime taken from the soil is practically returned in the 

 manure, because the cattle do not retain the greater 

 part of it, and no loss takes place in the manure. 

 We can then very often dispense with lime dressing 

 or, in any case, only apply it in small quantities. 

 Thus slag manures will be more than sufficient to 

 supply all that is required, and even more since 

 I cwt. of slag often contains more than 50 lbs. of 

 lime (50 per cent., or thereabouts). 



But lime ought not to be regarded so much as a 

 manure, but as an improvement, and it is in this 



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