The Chronicle LEVIN. SATURDAY, JULY 29, 1916. LEVIN LANDS, AND LIME.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 29 July 1916, Page 2

The Chronicle LEVIN. SATURDAY, JULY 29, 1916. LEVIN LANDS, AND LIME.

I X<c\ in M)ii, Jiioro than the ordinary' i>.litis ui iin.- Qonnii.oa, requires sciential; iicip lo ensure profitable fanning, i -us is ;i truism oi winch every landholders i.s aware; but in the application oi it Uiere arc varying opinions, ■(.'lio section oi laruiers, for instance, holds that tile uso ul lime ill light soiis such as tlio major part of this district consists of i.s inadvisable-, us irinie doUoys the humus that is in the soil, ilna its a tj-ouiuli contention, to some extent; but it has its limitations of ap[Mcableiiese. Lime, if not applied in groat quantities, is helpful in oven the i.ghtesfc soils; it tsefcs free certain ehein- '* ;<i piopei'ties of tho aoil that do uoi become fully available when lime is not used; and, further, it-does a great deal to remedy the inherent sourness ol Levin soils, and thus minimises tho growth of tile sorrel-weod that is so abundant in this district. Sorrel and sourness always go together, and thus it is well worthy of constant remembrance by every Levin farmer that tho use of some lime is desirable even in tbe lightest of our soils. For the chn lands—and Levin "does" possess a modicum oi these. the use of Jfinie in large quantities is eminently desirable. .Supplementary to our remarks above

sot out. ive have pleasure in reprinting hero some observation made in i pamphlet issued by Heidi and Gray Limited, the well-known iiini of agricult u raj implement makers. That li.'iu louiarks that oi all the liit-Uiodjs ol i " 'pi ov ing tho soil, other than actua 11-..iiiii ing or culLivatiuiu, none is mom important than the incorporation oi •i no. fn clay lands lining produces very pronounced effects, the soil becomes Uvss retentive of water, peroolali.Ki i.s increased. .-,o thai, tin- limed laim u, r|r:er and wanner, admit* of i- iiliii alien ;it an euri;er date, and is I'iiaUJe. The liming, by op<-i,i.if> up the soi; to the motion of u iter bv .surface tension, keeps the pant growing | or ~ i olly;el . period; at tbe same lime the inci eased amount of plant lood available also tends to prolong the duration of growth On soils that liavo been under intense cultivation for a long time, immense reserves ol plant food have been accumulated, which only require the addition of lime to bring them into action.

Of course, a* li 1110 itself supplies 110 t'dod to the plant, but only sots in action th dormant residues already present in the soil, the forcing; of crops by tbo aid of lime soon results in tlie exhaustion of the land ; hence the old fiair — "Lime. and lime without manure Will make both land and farmer poor." Lime lias a very marked y..rTvov of brin trine: potash into a soluble state. The licet efforts of quicklime are to ba Keen after the lapse of n year; the ma-

terial becomes carbonate, which, being soluble, is incorporated with the soil and passe.-, into solution as bicarbonate but slowly. Tin- effect of lime is not very persistent, aad the dressing must be repeated; as the farmers say, "the lime sinks in the laiul."' As a matter of fact, carbonate of liine is removed: from the surface soil by .solution as bicarbonate. For the host results lime should lie finely ground, so that it incorporates intimately with tho Boil. Where lucerne and clovers are grown continuously, the best results are obtained only by frequent top-dressings of lima.