FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
59 
(6) It does not at any time injure the 
productive power of the soil. 
On the other hand, the dealer in caustic 
lime holds up the facts: 
(1) That caustic lime has been used re¬ 
peatedly with good effects. 
(2) It is quicker and stronger in its 
neutralizing power. 
(3) It is more concentrated, so cheaper 
to handle. 
(4) It is more effective on clay soils. 
(5) In the form of hydrate it may be 
stored indefinitely. 
(6) Its efficiency is higher than the 
chemical equivalent in ground limestone, 
owing to greater degree of fineness. 
As to the amounts to use, it has been 
found that small applications requently re¬ 
peated are far better than the same 
amounts at long intervals of time. The 
heavier the soil the more lime will be re¬ 
quired. Generally on sandy lands 500 to 
1,000 pounds hydrated lime or 2,000 
pounds of ashes, or 3,000 pounds of 
ground limestone repeated every four or 
five years gives the best results. On clay 
soils 1,500 pounds of hydrated lime or 
two to three tons of limestone every three 
or four years will be found effective. 
Method of Application —The aim 
should be to get the lime thoroughly in¬ 
corporated with the soil. Fineness here 
becomes a factor and determines not only 
the solubility of the lime, but the thor¬ 
oughness with which the material can be 
incorporated with the soil. Veitch con¬ 
ducted extensive experiments to determine 
in a practical way the speed with which 
applied lime neutralizes the acids of the 
soil. From this mass of evidence the 
assertion seems warranted that for practi¬ 
cal farm purposes the neutralizing effect 
of applied lime is not exerted below the 
depth to which it is incorporated with the 
soil during the various processes of prep¬ 
aration and cultivation. Consequently, 
the more thorough and deeper those oper¬ 
ations are the better the distribution and 
the more effective the action of the lime. 
Lime should be incorporated to a depth 
of three or four inches to be effective on 
acid soils. The results indicate that alka¬ 
line soils are more fertile than acid soils 
and produce crops more economically 
than acid soils do, and the soil should be 
finally made alkaline to the full plowed 
depth. (Fla. Bui. No. 93). 
Let me emphasize, in closing, the great 
importance of the necessity of maintain¬ 
ing the content of organic matter in the 
soil in connection with liming. Lime alone 
may lead the way to a so-called dead soil; 
drainage, irrigation and fertilizers are 
frequently inadequate, but the combina¬ 
tion of proper moisture supply, organic 
matter, dry cover crops, legumes, with 
good tillage at the right time and in right 
manner, together with the proper mineral 
fertilizer combined with a suitable liming 
practice, is the acme of good soil manage¬ 
ment and modern conservation of soil fer¬ 
tility. — 
Discussion. 
Mr. Sample: I would like to ask Mr. 
Skinner, could we obtain bad results to 
the ammonias by putting on lime? 
Mr. Skinner: Not if the lime is incor¬ 
porated with the soil and the materials are 
put on two or three weeks apart, with a 
