250 SOIL ACIDITY AND LIMING 



shall find and see how frequently Lime is used, in so much that 

 of mine own knowledge in some Countries where (in times past) 

 there was one Bushel made or used, there is now many loads, and 

 all risen from the profitable experience which men have found 

 in the same." (Published in London, Eng., 1660.) 



"We must guard against its [referring to lump or quicklime] 

 abuse, for it has been abused terribly hi times past, so much so 

 as to give rise to two dictums inexact it is true: 'Lime enriches 

 the father and impoverishes the son'; and again, 'Lime once and 

 make a fortune. Lime twice and lose it/ In either case the blame 

 ought not to be put on the lime, but on the person who has abused 

 it. It would be better to say, 'When lime has impoverished the 

 soil it is because the farmer does not know how to use it. ' ' (Pub- 

 lished in London, Eng., 1916.) 



Too much should not be expected of agricultural lime. It 

 contains no nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium, 11 and hence it 

 cannot supply any of these elements. It alone can never maintain 

 fertility or restore a depleted soil to its original productive- 

 ness. An eminent liming authority 12 in this country has written 

 the following: 



"Lime will not take the place of fertilizer or manure; on the 

 contrary, lime will only produce its full effect on land that has been 

 previously well fertilized or manured." 



Fertility Regulated Through Liming. The benefits to be 

 derived through liming are so fundamentally important that 

 sufficient lime in the soil may be regarded as a fertility regulator. 

 Its proper use in increasing crop production and in maintaining 

 fertility presupposes the presence of a good supply of nitrogen, 

 phosphorus and potassium. Just lime alone, therefore, is not the 

 only material to add to a depleted soil to grow good clover or alfalfa, 

 or to regenerate that soil. Liming is a necessary first step towards 

 improvement, to be supplemented or followed by the use of phos- 

 phate fertilizers, manure, green manure and, on some soils, a 

 general use of fertilizers including potassium. Lime, acid phos- 

 phate, and manure may be added the same season. It is best, 

 however, to mix the lime thoroughly into the soil before applying 

 any soluble phosphates. An old slogan said: "Lime and lime 

 without manure makes both farm and farmer poor." 



"Waste lime from beet-sugar factories contains small amounts of 

 these elements. 



12 Director Thome of the Ohio Station. 



