there would naturally be rapid decay of vegetable matter, freshly slaked lime should 

 not be used. In so far as the air-slaked lime has carbonated, it would be safer; but, 

 the best form would be the limestone dust. On the other hand, on a heavy clay, or on 

 a sour "muck" soil, especially if deep, it would be better to apply the freshly slaked 

 lime. The dust will probably give as good results taken over a period of years, but the 

 quicklime will be quicker in its action. 



In considering the rate of application it is well to remember that lime is being 

 steadily leached out of the soil and that we do not intend to apply lime every year. 

 Furthermore, 56 lbs. of quicklime, 74 lbs. of hydrated lime, and 100 lbs. of carbonate of 

 lime are equivalent quantities, especially for neutralizing acids. Consequently, 1,000 

 lbs. quick lime and 1,786 lbs. of limestone dust will have about the same effect in the 

 soil. One ton of quick lime or two tons of limestone dust makes a fair application and 

 probably enough to last three or four years, but where the soil is very acid much larger 

 quantities may be necessary. No ill effects will follow very heavy dressings with the 

 carbonate of lime, but the quicklime will sterilize the soil if applied too heavily, and 

 thus check crop production for a year to two. 



For immediate action, the finer the limestone is ground the better, but sufficient 

 lime is commonly applied to last three or four years, and if it is all made very fine, there 

 is great danger that it may leach away too quickly. If the coarser particles are about 

 the size of the particles in corn meal or the finer forms of granulated sugar, and all the 

 fine dust that would naturally be formed in such a reduction be retained, it will be 

 gradually brought in use with less loss of material. 



The ground limestone dust is a comparatively new fertilizer product in this Province. 

 The other forms of lime may be procured wherever lime is burned. The limestone 

 dust is simply limestone reduced to a powder. All the firms preparing crushed stone 

 for road purposes, screen the broken stone, separating all material that will pass through 

 3-16 or 3-8 inch screen. These screenings contain a good deal of dust, some of it as 

 fine as desired for agricultural purposes; but the great part of it is very coarse. It is, 

 however, a material well worth considering when i t can be hauled directly onto the 

 land, but it is doubtful if it will pay to ship this coarse material by rail. In some places 

 as at the Wentworth Quarries, Canadian Quarries Ltd., Hamilton, Vinemount and 

 Pointe Anne Quarries at Point Anne, the fine dust is separated from the coarser 

 materials of the screenings and a very satisfactory product obtained. 



Four firms in Ontario are now preparing the limestone dust for agricultural pur- 

 poses and are equipped with machinery to reduce the limestone to any degree of fineness 

 desired. They are the Crushed Stone Company, Toronto, The Henderson Farmer's 

 Lime Company, Beachville, and the Standard White Lime Company, geachville, and 

 the Ontario Stone Corporation, Toronto (Quarries at Uhthoff, Ont.) It may be 

 purchased in bulk or in sacks like cement. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH LIME IN NOVA SCOTIA 



During the past two years, experiments with the liming of soils have been carried 

 on at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College by Prof. J. M. Trueman, who supplies the 

 following particulars as to results hitherto obtained: — 



In 1914, three plots were sown to oats and three to wheat, in a mixture containing 

 timothy and clover. Before sowing, half of each plot was treated with ground limestone 

 at the rate of four tons per acre, this being twice the quantity usually employed. 



The liming made no apparent difference in the yield of grain, but the clover on the 

 limed portions was considerably ahead of that on the unlimed at the time the grain crop 

 was cut. This difference became more and more marked until the close of the season, 

 and continued as growth started in the following spring. 



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