ACTION OF LIME AS A MANURE. 
2 5 
humus the application of lime will exert no influence on the 
assimilability of phosphoric acid, as the richness of the soil, 
applied by us, in hydrated silicates is rath m an exception. 
In the majority of cases, as in sandy, clayey, and ordinary loam 
soils of paddy fields, a moderate dressing with lime previous to 
the application of superphosphates will certainly secure a good 
effect of the phosphoric acid on the crop, especially if the soils 
are ferruginous and would otherwise favour the formation of 
less assimilable basic phosphates of iron and alumina. For the 
same reasons in overlimed soils superphosphates are sure to 
have a good effect. 
Regarding the habit of frequent applications of large doses of 
lime, our researches prove that the exhaustive action of this 
manure is not confined to nitrogenous and potassic nutrients, 
but likewise, as was hitherto unknown, favours the consumption 
of the phosphatic ingredients of the soil by the crops. 
