H. C. Experiment Station 
9 
All methods for the determination of the lime requirement of soils 
are based on the concept that the effect of liming will be confined to the 
reaction between the added base and the soil acids. This does not take 
into account the effect of the change of reaction upon the biological 
activities of the soil. 
In explanation of the anomalous results given in Table I, it was sug¬ 
gested that liming had failed to effect any decrease in acidity for the 
reason that the addition of lime had stimulated acid production by 
activating the nitrifying bacteria. The samples from the lime-test 
plats of the Branch Farm furnish material for a demonstration of the 
validity of this assumption. 
Some results bearing on this point are given in Table III. 
TABLE III 
The Effect of Liming on the Total Nitrogen Content, Nitrification and 
Reaction of a Muck Soil 
Plat No. 
♦ 
Treatment 
Total 
Nitro¬ 
gen in 
Moisture- 
Free Soil 
Nitrate Nitro¬ 
gen in Moisture- 
Free Soil 
Reaction 
Original 
Samples 
Incubat¬ 
ed Sam¬ 
ples 
Original 
Samples 
Incu¬ 
bated 
Samples 
Per 
Parts per 
Parts per 
Cent 
Million 
Million 
pH 
pH 
6 
None.... .. .. 
1.118 
35 
119 
3.62 
3.46 
13 
None__ 
1.121 
20 
108 
3.76 
3.63 
Average 
None.... 
1.120 
28 
114 
3. 67x 
3.56x 
1 
Hydrated lime, 1 ton..... ... 
1.243 
45 
151 
4.22 
3.86 
2 
Limestone, 1 ton... .. . 
1.184 
35 
140 
4.18 
3.98 
4 
Marl, 1 ton.. 
1.181 
35 
135 
4.07 
3.60 
Average 
All forms of lime, 1 ton. 
1.203 
38 
142 
4.15 x 
3. 80 x 
5 
Hydrated lime, 2 tons. 
1.178 
35 
173 
4.42 
4.26 
7 
Limestone, 2 tons.. 
1.145 
40 
184 
4.53 
4.37 
10 
Marl, 2 tons___ 
1.129 
35 
130 
4.20 
4.14 
Average 
All forms of lime, 2 tons_ ... 
1.151 
37 
162 
4 .37x 
4 . 24 x 
11 
Hydrated lime, 3 tons_ 
1.131 
35 
1.84 
4.91 
4.71 
12 
Limestone, 3 tons. _ 
1.125 
30 
135 
5.08 
5.03 
15 
Marl, 3 tons__ 
1.067 
40 
216 
5.14 
4.73 
Average 
All forms of lime, 3 tons. 
1.108 
35 
178 
5. 02 r 
4.80x 
16 
Hydrated lime, 4 tons_ ... . 
1.061 
35 
216 
5.25 
4.98 
17 
Limestone, 4 tons____ 
1.030 
35 
184 
6.01 
5.82 
19 
Marl, 4 tons___ 
1.071 
40 
216 
5.43 
5.17 
Average 
All forms of lime, 4 tons.... 
1.054 
37 
205 
5.46x 
5.24x 
9 
Fertilizer... 
1.114 
30 
59 
3.88 
3.48 
3 
Fertilizer—Limestone, 1 ton_ 
1.165 
35 
151 
4.06 
3.85 
8 
Fertilizer—Limestone, 2 tons- 
1.133 
35 
130 
4.70 
4.32 
14 
Fertilizer—Limestone, 3 tons. 
1.016 
40 
189 
5.40 
4.93 
18 
Fertilizer—Limestone, 4 tons. 
1.046 
35 
173 
6.13 
5.44 
x—Logarithmic averages. 
