496 
The Influence of Lime on the 
With regard to the form in which the lime should be applied 
there could be little doubt. In the form of lime-water, a definite 
amount could be added with the greatest precision, and with a 
certainty of perfect contact and action. 
The plan followed was very simple. A given weight of the 
soil (in general 2000 grains, — rattier more than \ lb.), dried, 
finely powdered, and passed through a sieve of 40 holes to the 
inch, was digested in a large glass bottle with 28,000 grains (4 
pints) of lime-water, the strength of which was previously ascer- 
tained by analysis. The materials were repeatedly shaken to- 
gether, and, after a given time, a portion of the clear liquid was 
drawn off and examined for the quantity of lime it contained. The 
difference between this number and that of the original lime- 
water was, of course, the quantity absorbed by the soil. The 
first experiments were devoted to ascertaining how long — for 
the full absorption of lime by the soil — the two sliould remain in 
contact. 
The following analyses show the strength of the first quantity 
of lime-water : — 
1000 grs. of standard lime-water precipitated by oxalate of 
ammonia, and the precipitate ljurnt in the usual way, gave — 
Ors. Grs. 
First Analysis — Carbonate of liinc 1-74 equal to 0'974 lime. 
Second ,," „ 1'85 ,, 1-020 ,, 
Third ,, „ 1-80 ,, r008 „ 
The mean of the three experiments indicates 0* 997 (very 
nearly 1 grain) of lime in each 1000 grs. of solution. 
Experiment No. 1. 
Soil No. 4 2,000 grs. 
Lime-water 28,000 ,, 
The liquid was examined after 1 hour's digestion. 
First Analysis — 
1500 grs. liquid gave 0'90 grs. of'carbonatc of lime, equal to 0'33G 
lime in lOOO grs. licjuid. • 
Second Analysis — 
1200 grs. liquid gave 0*72 carbonate of lime, or "336 lime in 1000 grs. • 
liquid. 
riiese results are identical. We obtain the numbers representing 
the quantity of lime absorbed by a given weight of soil in the 
following manner : — , 
