HOME MAKUEE. 77 



Lime. — Quick or burnt lime may be said to exert a 

 three-fold influence as a fertilizer. It is a direct source 

 of plant food ; it unlocks and renders available the stores 

 of inert food, both mineral and organic, contained in the 

 soil ; and it ameliorates the texture of clays. 



As all crops require a certain amount of lime, in order 

 to carry on and perfect their growth, a soil deficient in 

 this mineral substance can never be a very productive 

 one, until the deficiency is made good. 



It is in its second character, perhaps, that lime does 

 its most important work. It decomposes all kinds of 

 vegetable matter in the soil and corrects any acidity due 

 to the presence of organic acids. It assists to decompose 

 certain salts whose bases contribute to the food of plants, 

 and it acts in facilitating nitrification. In all these re- 

 spects it may be said to digest and prepare general plant- 

 food, though it does not in itself furnish more than one 

 of the ingredients which plants require from the soil. It 

 also helps to retain certain soluble manures in the soil, 

 and it economizes the use of potash ; certain crops, such 

 as roots and clover, w^here potash is not abundant in the 

 soil, having to some extent the power of utilizing lime in 

 its place. When we add that lime improves the quality 

 of grain, grasses, and other crops, the finer grasses on 

 certain lands refusing to grow until the land has been 

 limed ; that it is the only known cure for ^^ finger and 

 toe" m turnips; that it hastens the maturity of crops; 

 anS that it destroys insects, and checks the growth of 

 moss and weeds in the soil — it will be seen how various 

 and important is the work it performs. 



The effect of lime on the mechanical texture of many 

 soils is also great. It pulverizes and lightens strong 

 soils, at once improving their drainage and rendering 

 them easier tilled. On peaty soils it reduces the excess 

 of organic matter. It also improves the texture of light 

 soils, provided an overdose is not applied, even when 



