Lime and Agriculture.

Western Star, 16 November 1909, Page 2

Lime and Agriculture.

n may be taken as certain, says the • '-uar.v Lane ii«,\pre®s,’ 1 that the cuiti vat'io'n ol crops on a wide class ot tU .ls Will not lead to satisfactory, results unless measures are • taken oy dressings of lime or marl 10, provide a guinst the deficiency ol Mmc in the so.l. , It must .be rem-emhortd, as proved by oxfperimerilts at Hot'liamsted, iliat there is an incessant wastage ol lime from the soil through drainage and oilier causes, and unless this continu'd Joss is made good the iec’t. 'dty el Ihe mud must be diminished. Lime is not only one ol the indispcusiblc constituents pi plant no utis anient, lut it ilso acts effectively on the mechanical and chmical condition ol the soil. It may be said to apply the leverage to other sources ol lertility. This is generally recognised by every intelligent farmer, Q nd accoumts lor the increasing demand lor lime ol good .piality and lor cliemioal manures containing a

percentage ol lime, it is difficult for a farmer to comprehend why occasionally a dressing ol lime 1 does not produce the saitflbfactory result anticipated! from the openatiun. It is a necessary factor for the successful application of lime that the condition ol the soil as regards water and warmth should Lo normal, or sliould be made so. On Water-logged, heavy land, lime cannot act with lull effect unless tine laild has been drained and opened up to atmospheric influences, and on dry sandy soils, especially in dry years, it has little power to act. Another anid equally essential factor [or success in liming is the presence in the soil of a sufficiency of the other fertilising constituent®. One-sided manuring is a fruitful source of disappoint ment- lime helps to concert into an available form other plant foods which may be in the soil, but if any other essential constituent is not sufficiently present, there will ensue a partial failure of the crop. It is a eood old rule that the manure cart should follow or precede the lime cart. A good dressing of farmyard m vinca is the best way to got Lost resets from liming, because it is certain that if lime is not applied with d essmgs of farmyard manure or plenty of artificials, the land will be impoverished.Thus the old saying, “Lime makes rich fathers bm poor sons.” Another reason for the occasional want of success in liming is the applt '-ation of_ excessive quantities, especially on light soils. For such soil -marl is more appropriate. If may also life pointed out that lime, especially in' large quantities, docs not seem to suit some crops .It ’is said to increase the tendency to scab in potatoes', but this is due to excessive applications Small of lime have not been noticed tol produce this effect, but have been entirely bedeficial in the crop. In general it may be said, that according > to thio latest experience and observations the best results are obtained from miofdcrato dressings of lime repeated every three or five years and not from one excessive application.