39 

 LIME FOR THE LAND. 



(By Horace V. Pickstone). 



Lime is at all times an essential ingredient of the soil, and 

 when there is not a plentiful supply placed there by nature it must 

 be applied artificially. Contrary to what many suppose, it is a 

 manure in itself, and is required by the plant as much as any of 

 the other manures. This because it is one of the four chemical 

 substances without which plants cannot thrive, and if one is 

 lacking in the soil, the other three are prevented from becoming 

 fully serviceable. Besides being a manure it has an important 

 mechanical effect upon the soil. ( a i by bringing it into better tilth, 

 ( b ) by neutralising the acids, producing thus a healthy condition 

 of soil, (c) by rendering available fertilising elements already 

 in the soil, but lying in a latent condition, ( d j by loosening and 

 rendering porous heavy soil, ie) by counteracting the effects of 

 brak. Thus it will be seen that lime is a substance of outstand- 

 ing importance to the agriculturist. 



There is difference of opinion as to what form of lime 

 should be applied, that is. whether it should be as ground raw 

 stone, slacked burnt stone, or unslacked burnt stone. The right 

 article to use depends upon two very simple questions. The first 

 is cost laid down on the land at which each is obtainable, and 

 the second the effects desired. For instance, if the lime is re- 

 quired only as a fertilising element (which is rarely the case) 

 then ground raw stone, providing it can be purchased very finely 

 ground at about half the price of the burnt article, may serve the 

 purpose. When the lime is required for general results then it 

 is very much better to use either slacked or unslacked burnt stone. 

 The ideal form in which lime would be most useful to the agri- 

 culturist would be as unslacked burnt stone ground down to 

 about pea size. Thus, it is in its most powerful and concentrated 

 state, convenient to apply, and could be used to give any required 

 result. In this condition it would be employed as follows. For 

 actively loosening up heavy soils and rendering available latent 

 fertilising matters, it would be thrown dow-n and quickly har- 

 rowed or ploughed under. If required merely as a fertiliser it 

 would be put on to the land in lesser quantity, and before 

 ploughing under would be allowed to remain for some little time 

 exposed to the weather, when it would increase in bulk, and air 

 slack to an extremely fine powder reverting at the same time to 

 it original natural state of carbonate of lime. For such an 

 article as this the farmer might with advantage pay fully double 

 the price of the ground raw stone, and get much better results 

 from one ton than from two of the other. Unfortunately good 

 ground burnt stone is. we believe, at present unprocurable in this 



