924 



LIME 



LIME 



proving the texture of each. By the flocculation of the 

 fine particles of the former, water drains off more readily, 

 and the danger of serious washing is thus diminished. 

 Soluble phosphates are less liable to be lost or changed 

 intounassimilable forms in soils containing Lime. Large 

 quantities of Lime should not be employed upon sandy 

 soils in a single application. The repeated use of highly 

 magnesian Lime is fraught with danger, though, applied 

 occasionally in the place of ordinary Lime, it may prove 

 beneficial. The use of Lime, whether in wood ashes or 

 from other sources, increases the tendency to alkalinity 

 of the soil, and hence makes it more favorable to the 

 development of potato scab, provided the fungus which 

 causes the disease is already in the soil, or is introduced 

 into it upon the "seed" tubers. The disease which de- 

 velops upon turnips and certain other plants, known as 

 "club foot" or "club root," is lessened to a marked 

 degree by the use of Lime upon the soil. 



Lime is usually applied to land at rates ranging from 

 half a ton to two and one-half tons per acre, and at inter- 

 vals of from four to six years. It should be thoroughly 

 worked into the surface soil after plowing. Upon sandy 

 soils it is applied with the greatest safety after com- 

 posting with organic matter. 



The value of Lime in Y)reparing composts has long 

 been known. Mixed in iaj^ers with loam, weeds, muck, 

 coarse stable manure and other vegetable or animal mat- 

 ter, it forms in a few months, if kept moist, an excellent 

 material for the use of gardeners. If worked over a few 

 times at intervals, the operation is materially hastened. 

 The introduction of a little common salt or of muriate of 

 potash facilitates the process by virtue of the formation 

 of carbonates of soda or of potash. In order to prevent 

 loss of ammonia, compost heaps are usually kept covered 

 with moist earth with which gypsum or land plaster may 

 often be advantageously mixed. 



The influence of Lime on plant-growth is often as- 

 tounding. Lettuce, spinach, beets, onions, muskmclons, 

 asparagus, clovers, timothy, Kentucky blue grass ami 

 poppies are almost failures upon very acid soil until 

 liming is practiced. Watermelons, lupines, serradella, 

 cranberries, rhododendrons, azaleas, the Norway spruce 

 and other plants might be cited that are known to bo 

 injured or ruined by considerable applications of Lime. 

 Their natural home is upon a sour soil. The Early Rich- 

 mond cherry, though helped somewhat by liming, suc- 

 ceeds upon very acid soil, while the Black Tartarian 

 fails under similar circumstances. The Delaware grape 

 is more in need of Lime than the Concord. Blackcap 

 raspberries do not seem to be helped by liming, even 

 upon very acid soil, though the Cuthbert, a red rasp- 

 berry, responds to the treatment in a marked manner. 

 The quince is more in need of Lime \ipon acid soils than 

 the pear, apple or peach. The American linden and 

 American elm are thankful for Lime upon acid soils, 

 while the white birch shows utter indifference to it. The 

 success of the beech upon the limestone soils of Europe 

 indicates its natural home. Chestnut trees are said not 

 to thrive well on limestone soils. Gooseberries and 

 currants are moderately helped by liming on very acid 

 soils. Strawberries exhibit this characteristic only in a 

 Blight degree, 



Rhode Island owes its reputation as the home of Rhode 

 Island bent to the fact that this grass can persist upon 

 Boil where many other grasses fail, and hence it has 

 won in the struggle for existence. Had the soil been 

 well supplied with Lime it is not probable that such 

 would have been the case. Upon very acid soils, there 

 is little fear that the poppy would ever become a perni- 

 cious weed, as is the case in many of the wheat fields of 

 Europe, Such soils are, however, the natural home of 

 common sorrel. The conditions favorable to the poppy 

 are also favorable to wheat. Barley fails upon very sour 

 soils. Oats succeed except upon extremely acid soil, 

 though even soils of that character produce good crops 

 of rye and Indian corn. 



Ho who will use Lime intelligently must study care- 

 fully the peculiarities of his soil, and of tho plants that 

 are to be grown, pj^ j t^^heelek. 



LIME (FETTIT) of literature is mostly Cih-us LimeJta 

 of Risso, or Sweet Lime, which is now regarded as a form 

 of O. Medica. The Sour or West Indian Lime (dis- 



cussed below) is a much sourer fruit and is Citrus Me- 

 dica, var. acida (see p. 325, Vol. 1), Fig. 1293. 



The Sour Lime is a useful member of the orange tribe 

 valuable for its acid fruits, which are prized above lemons 

 in tropical countries for making cooling drinks and for 

 cookery. Limes are also largely used in the manufac- 

 ture of citric acid. The tree is low, much branched and 

 very thorny, thriving on poorer, rockier soil, and in 

 closer pi'oximity to salt water than other members of the 

 citrous tribe. In orchard planting the trees are set about 

 15x25 feet apart, and cultivation given them the same 

 as for lemon and orange trees. 



The variety most commonly grown is a small-fruited, 

 very prolific sort, ordinarily grown from seed and called 

 "West Indian." The fruits of this sort are shipped from 



1293. Sour Lime— Citrus Medica. var. acida (XM)- 



lower Florida and the West Indies to Atlantic coast 

 cities in quantity during summer and autumn. There 

 are several good varieties beside tho common "West 

 Indian," all of which are propagated by budding or graft- 

 ing on strong stocks of various kinds, but especially 

 upon rough lemon and sour orange. Among the best 

 known and valuable may be named Tahiti, which has 

 large, smooth fruits almost tbe size of lemons and Sour 

 Rangpur, the "Mandarin Lime," in shape and character 

 of fruit much like the China Mandarin, but with in- 

 tensely acid juice. There arc a number of sorts from 

 India being experimented with in Florida, but which are 

 not as yet well tested. The Lime, in almost all varie- 

 ties, is more tender as regards cold than even the lemon, 

 not being able to withstand sharp frosts without dam- 

 age. The Sour Rangpur (from India) is an exception, 

 and has proved to be almost as hardy as the sweet orange 

 tree, and has fruited freely in tho iipper orange belt of 

 Florida. Doubtless by budding or grafting Limes on 

 the Citrus trifollata as a stock, the trees will be able to 

 stand moi'e severe frosts than when worked on more 

 tender roots. ^ ^_ Reasoner. 



The Lime is but little grown ni California. In early 

 days it wasfreelj'' planted, largely in hedge form around 

 orange groves. Its susceptibility to injuries from low 

 temperatures, which did not harm the orange and lemon, 

 caused its abandonment inourchief citrous fruit regions, 

 and no effort was made to restore the acreage in frost- 

 loss localities, because the supply from Mexican regions 

 keeps local prices so low as to offer no profit to Califor- 

 nia growers. At present the Lime has no commercial 

 standing as a California fruit, though several varieties 

 are grown in a few places for home use. 



E. J. WlCKSON, 



