Forms Of Lime
Categories:
APPLYING LIME
There is unnecessary confusion in the mind of the
public regarding the forms of lime that should be used. If amounts
greatly in excess of needs were being applied, the form would be a
matter of concern. There would arise the question of soil injury that
might result from the use of the lime in caustic form. Again, if
pulverized limestone were used, a very heavy application would bring up
the question of coarseness in o
der that waste by leaching might be
escaped. Most farms needing lime do not have cheap supplies, and the
consideration is to secure soil alkalinity at a cost that will not be
excessive. Freight rates and the cost of hauling to the fields, added
to first cost of the lime, limit applications on most farms to the
necessities of a single crop-rotation which includes clover, or, at the
most, to two crop-rotations. Under these circumstances it is best to
let cost of correction of soil acidity determine the form of lime to be
used.
The material that will render the soil friendly to clover for the least
money is the right one to select. We need to be concerned only with the
relative efficiencies of the various forms of lime, as measured in
terms of money. That which will most cheaply restore heavy clover
growths to the land is the form of lime to be desired. The contentions
of salesmen may well be disregarded as they produce confusion and delay
a work that is important to the farmer.