LIME 



LIME is classed as an indirect fertilizer. While it is not regarded as 

 a plant food, it is just as essential to plant life and growth as nitro- 

 gen, phosphoric acid or potash. 



A very small per cent of lime is found in grains, but a considerable 

 amount is found in the substance of the plant. 



If a seed is planted in soil absolutely devoid of lime, the growth is 

 checked as soon as the lime is exhausted from the seed. If a soil is defi- 

 cient in lime, the plant is correspondingly deficient. There are a few 

 plants, however, which do not require lime. 



Soil may be rich in all of the essential elements, namely, nitrogen, 

 phosphorous and potash and still be worthless for agricultural purposes 

 if it does not contain a sufficient amount of lime. 



Clovers and other legumes grown in such soil are stunted and the 

 leaves are yellow and sickly. 



Alfalfa without lime will hardly survive after the first year and cow 

 peas, soy beans and vetch are a failure where lime is absent. 



Corn grown on land which does not contain a reasonable amount of 

 lime will have small, long- jointed stalks, small, delicate leaves and a defi- 

 cient ear. 



It is safe to say that the productiveness of many of our fertile farms is 

 reduced fifty per cent simply because they do not contain the required 

 amount of lime. 



Originally, most of our soils contained a sufficient quantity of lime, 

 but on account of continued cropping, it has, to a great degree in many 

 soils, been reduced to such an extent that the soil is unhealthy. 



Unless the natural supply of lime in the soil is abnormally large, the 

 drain incident to cultivation and fertilization exhausts it to a point 

 where not enough remains to keep the soil in a healthy condition; or, in 

 other words, free from harmful acid. 



Every farmer knows that a sour soil is sickly and he should know 

 that, unless the condition is remedied, it will not produce even fail 

 crops. 



Lime acts both chemically and physically. 



Chemically, it is the most powerful agent known to sweeten sour soil 

 Soil becomes sour; or, in other words, harmful acid is formed, it being 

 the result of decaying vegetable matter. 



Lime unites with the organic matter forming humate of lime, thus 

 preventing the formation of any harmful acid. 



Nitrifying bacteria which form nitrates, an available form of organic 

 nitrogen, will not live in acid or sour soil. 



Nitrogen does not combine with phosphorous, potash and other inor- 

 ganic base elements without the assistance of lime. 



Lime renders potash in the soil more available. The soil may be rich 



