THE APPLICATION OF LIME TO THE SOIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2660, 8 March 1905, Page 28

THE APPLICATION OF LIME TO THE SOIL.

Br A SOTTTHLAXD FAEJfEE.

Seeing that the scientific aspect of the application of lime in relation to its chemical, meohanical, and manurial effects on th& soil has already from time to time been fully dealt with by "Agricola" and other writers, I shall confine my remarks chiefly to my personal experiences in its application. I think I would be quite justified in saying that there is but little well-drained land in Southland that would not be greatly benefited by the judicious application of lime. I notice that the chairman of the S.F.M. and P.E. Company, at the annual meeting, said that "he was confident that New Zealand could easily increase its carrying capacity for sheep from 20.000.000 lo 40,000.000 within 10 years." If that is to b3 done. I am equally confident that lime will be the most important factor in bringing it about. The most important question, then, is how to apply it 'to the best advantage — i.e., co as to secure the maximum advantage to the soil from the minimum amount -of outlay.

The usual method of applying lime in Southland is to put it out on the land in small heaps, let it remain till slaked, and tben spread it with a shovel. This works fairly well if you can guarantee the .weather, but in a climate so erratic as ours, where we often have long spells of wet. interspersed with high winds, this, method is often anything but satisfactory. What often happens is that just as the lime i* ready to be spread a_ howling north-west ©ale arises, which prevents it being touched. After the wind comes a soaking rain, which reduces it to the consistency of porridge. Then you have to v/ait till it dlries. when it will require breaking up with the shovel before it can be spread, and, when spread, is in a very inadequate state of subdivision. One of the disadvantages of this method is that while yoxi are waiting for the lime to slake is often just the time you want to ba cultivating for the crop. One of my early experiences with, lime was that when it arrived, the land not being ready for it, and v not wishing to handle the loose lime twice, I had it bagged at the truck End put down in a corner of th& paddoctk. It happened to be a low place, and a few days afterwards a flood came over the top of it. Of course the bags were destroyed, and we had a great job to get that truck of mortar spread on the paddock. Seeing that the n--ethod described often proved so unsatisfactory, I decided to try machine-sowing. I then bought a lime-so we. . My idea wa= to slake the lime in a- heap, bag it .up. and sow.it with the sower, but 1 found that the sower would not tafce pieces larger than the end of your thumb, and that it would be necessary to tafce all larger lumps out. I then set up a screen, and- by shovelling the lime in at the top, the fine passed through into a bag underneath and the lumps weufe off at the bottom. The chief objection to this plan was that it jsras very disagreeable to work, and the men objected to it on account, of the oaustio effects of the lime ; also, if it" was too much slaked it would not pass through the sower, a-nd gave trouble. Besides this, the slaked lime was very bulky to handle. To obviate this we tried putting it through the screen from the truck, taking out the dust and slaking the lumps with water, putting it over the screen again at once. By doing this the lime was so hot as to frequently burn the bags, and, if left to 0001, all bhe disadvantage* of the other plan were experienced. Ultimately the' screening plan was abandoned as unworkable.

We then tried another method, which I have come to ibe conclusion is the best one for applying slaked lime to the land. We cart the lime on to the paddook from the truck, in tin? U3ual way, putting: it in heaps eight yards apart each way, three long-handle shovelfuls to a heap, whioh gives a 'lttlo over one ton per aore. We then tak? water in a 200 gal tank with a hose on the tap. and slake the heaps, putting jusb enough water to break, down the lumps. The spreaders come along behind and SDread it with shovels, and a diao follows immediately to put it under. The only difficulty in this plan is that it takea ft. large labour force* to 'keep it going properly, but it secures the very best results pbtainable from slaked 1 lime. Since crushed lime has been available afc a reasonable price, I have used a, considerable quantity. The advantages of crushed lime are: you get it in bags, which are more speedy ancj pleasant to handle ; you have no lumps of ui.Blakabis linaesto&es leffe oa youjr 'pad-

doel.-; it )^ m the \ pr\ be-t condition for -ovu'.g by maohirciy, and you get the ma\ilTuni benefit, 1 ' t^" chemical and meehanie?i. from it« applirat.on. The question v hith 1 ha\.- .-circ-cly come to a definite cor.r !u=:on upon is. YYhich can be appiiccl i.~> \hc* mosi' advantage, slaked or crushed lmif. supposing that each .s applied under tho be=t condition^: When railage has to be paid from the crusher, crushed lime fo,is iea'ly double the price of uncmshed. Th- actual" co"-t to me i"s crushed 24-s, uncrusl.ecl 13*. per ton off the truck. The q; est on i-, do tho advantages attached to the u-e of rxu-hod ccrrpeiisate for the smaller quantity applied for the same cost? i am rather inclined to the conclusion that the balance l* in favour of the xincrushed, but if crushed at the kiln and delivered fiee. th& balance would be the other way. [t i^ entire Iv a question of comparative cost ami effect on the Foil

A= to the be-r timo to applj- lime. I usually u.-e 't m the -.prmg on land intended foi* turnip-. By doing this I get some advantage to th-c- rurni2o«. peenre a good crop of oaf ne\t year, and havj? a splendid sole of gras- and clover the third year.