How did people test ph soil before ph meters?
The practice of using lime wasn’t scientifically established until 1832, by Edwin Ruffin. He claimed to fire the first shot in the civil war, and committed suicide when the south lost. (see the google books link below) Before that, people would have known that lime or ash helped in their particular area. They also would have known what types of soil needed more, out of the limited types of soil in their own areas. But in Ruffin’s area of South Carolina, the indians who may have had that knowledge were gone, and no one knew that lime would improve the acidic red clay. Any landscaper today knows that red clay needs lime, if it hasn’t been added in the last few years. Edwin Ruffin’s use of lime saved his own plantation, and it was a scientific breakthrough. Acidic soil really does taste sour. This is a very practical skill for a farmer, because he can spot check his soil instantly.
