78 THE SOIL OF THE FARM. 



they contain but little vegetable matter; the avidity of 

 the lime for moisture, added to the chemical changes 

 brought about by it, having the effect of increasing their 

 absorptive and retentive powers in a considerable degree. 



The quantity of lime applied need not be large, but 

 may vary, according to circumstances, from 0.05 to .5 

 per cent., by weight, of the cultivated soil. On a soil 

 ten inches deep an application of one ton per acre would 

 represent a dressing of 0.05 per cent.; and ten tons per 

 acre will equal .5 per cent. In actual practice more 

 than five or six tons per acre is seldom api:)lied. This 

 quantity may be required for strong land, or for land 

 containing much organic matter in an inert state; but 

 for light land with little vegetable matter, occasioual 

 dressings of one to two tons per acre will, in most cases, 

 be found sufficient. 



A deep soil requires a heavier dressing of lime than a 

 shallow soil; and deep tillage will call for larger applica- 

 tions than where the cultivation is shallower. A sandy 

 soil requires less lime than a heavy clay; and soils poor 

 m vegetable matter will need smaller dressings of lime 

 than soils that are rich in organic matter. A small 

 quantity of lime will have greater effect on drained lands 

 than a larger dose on w^et and undrained land. Green 

 crops will generally benefit more by lime than corn crops. 



There are few soils in which some lime is not already 

 present; but the smaller this quantity, the better, as a 

 rule, will the soil pay for an artificial ap})lication. The 

 form in which the lime exists in the soil, is, however, im- 

 portant. If in the form of silicate, or even gy])sum, it 

 will pay better to add lime to the soil, than if the lime 

 present had existed, as carbonate. It will also ]iay better 

 to apply lime to land that has never been limed, tlian to 

 land where it has been previously ap])licd. The quantity 

 of lime necessary, as well as the kind of lime that should 

 be added, will thus be much influenced by the composi- 



