14 



THE PHYSICAL ACTION OF LIME ON CLAY SOILS 



work with comparatively small salt applications. In the present investi- 

 gation, an attempt was made to obtain data from applications equal to 

 and smaller than the lime requirement of the soil, in order to more nearly 

 approximate field conditions. 



EXPEKIMENTAL STUDIES 



All the soils used were of the Dunkirk silt loam series, and were 

 obtained from two stations on the Cornell University farm. In addition, 

 work was undertaken with samples from the lime plots on Caldwell Field. 

 All the soils analyzed approximately the same mechanically. 



TABLE I. MECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF DUNKIRK SILT LOAM SOILS 



Unpublished results of bulk analyses give: 



TABLE II. BULK ANALYSES OF DUNKIRK SILT LOAM SOIL 

 (From 9 samples of Tonipkins County soil) 



In sampling the soil in the field, care was taken to get well down 

 below the sod line in order that organic matter be excluded as far as 

 possible. The material was brought in to the laboratory, put through a 

 coarse sieve, and well mixed. The soil had an acidity of 3000 pounds of 

 calcium oxide per acre, as determined by the Veitsch method. All the 

 limes used were 200 mesh, and pots were set up with calcium hydrate, 

 limestone, precipitated calcium carbonate, gypsum, and precipitated cal- 

 cium sulfate. In addition, studies were conducted with precipitated 

 basic magnesium carbonate, and sodium carbonate. The limes were added 

 in molecularly equivalent amounts, and proper corrections were made 



