RIGHT USE OF LIME IN SOIL IMPROVEMENT 



is represented by the formula CaCOs. 

 When heat is applied under right condi- 

 tions the carbon dioxide, CO2, is driven off, 

 and there remains CaO, which is calcium 

 oxide, called fresh burned lime. 



If there were 100 pounds of the stone, 

 and it was absolutely pure, 44 pounds 

 would escape in form of the carbon dioxide, 

 which had no value, and 56 pounds would 

 remain. The 56 pounds calcium oxide, or 

 fresh burned lime, have the same power to 

 correct acidity as this same material had 

 when it was bound up in the 100 pounds of 

 limestone. The 44 pounds were driven off 

 by heat, while if the limestone had not been 

 burned the 44 would have separated from 

 the 56 pounds in an acid soil, leaving the 

 actual lime to do the needed work of cor- 

 recting acidity. 



Affecting Physical Condition. While 

 burning the stone does not affect the ability 

 to correct acidity, it does increase the power 

 to make a stiff soil friable and to bind a 

 sandy soil. No one may say how much this 

 power to influence soil texture is increased, 

 but it is marked, and when improved physi- 

 cal condition is the chief reason for apply- 

 ing lime, there is no question that fresh 



