Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-08-30
farm, Barden & 9Joitsfh0ld.
LINING LAND

LINING LAND
This practice, whicb is 50 common IN Brit
ish agriculture, is but little known in our
country outside Of New jersey and PennsyI-
Yania. In recent visit to the grain growing
districts Of these States, we fonnd lime as
highly esteemed as manure, and a regular
part Of their rotation, as we have noticed else
where. Where lime can bs had at Ten cents
q bushel and under. as ii can ia al the lime
stone regions Of Pennsylvania, the practice is
almost universal. Ii is used good deal on
farms, far distant from the Line kiluss where
il costs al the depot or canal twenty cents a
bugheI and upwards. The conviction Of is
utility in these States may be said to be uni
versaI, and # it is not used, It Is either ewing
to the high price Of the article, OF 10 the fact
that agriculture receives liule attention
Il is applied by some to the sod immediate
ly after moving and this sod is turned under
either in the fall or spring for cora. il IS
claimed that the lime stimulates the growth
Of grass, and affects fayorably every crop in
the rotation. II would be impossible, with
out lining. 20 keep up the grain farms to
their present degree Of productiTeness. II is
also claimed for the summer application and
the spring plowing that it distributes the
line more equally, and keeps II near the sur
face The lime which is carried down by
the fell aud winter rains, is brought to the
surface again when the sod is inverted By
this method also, the lime has more time to
act upon the inert material in the SOIL and to
prepare plant food for the subsequent crop.
Other farmers are quite as certain thst the
best time 10 apply lime is upon the inverted
sod in the spring, while the ground is prepaE
iHg for corn. They want to keep the lime
as near the surface as possible, aud have nc
fears Of its late action upon the crop The
quantity applied TO the acre is from thirty 70
q hundred bushels, depending somewhat up
on the character Of the soil, the price Of the
lime, and the theoretical views Of the planter.
The better the soil, that is, the more clay
aad vegetable matter il contains, the more
lime II viii bear. Some think hundred
bushels quite too much, and that 50 much has
tendency TO turn the stalks yellow, and 10
diminish the yield. Smaller quantities, say
FROM 30 to 80 bushels, are more commonly
applied. The lime Is usually brought from
the lime kiln or depot in its causlic state, and
Is dropped upon the land IN heaps where il il
To be used. It is there slaked by the spph
cation Of water, and is about doubled IN guam.
tity by this process. Il is then spread as
evenly as possible over the land. This makes
& cheap dressing for the land even al twenty
cents q busheL The effect IS very clearly
marIed where il is used. It keeps up the
fertility Of the soil, and makes remuneratige
crops even without manure. OF course, with
manure the crops are larger and pay better.
The question very naturally arises, if lining
land win pay in other districts where it is not
now used! Without answering this question
at once In the affirmative, We think the results
II these States are such az 10 encourage eve
~ farmer who can get lime at a reasonable
price TO make the experiment We have
abundance Of lime rock in regions where it is
10. burned at all. The conviction is quite
common that il will not pay to use lime upon
limestone soils, but in Pennsylvania the ei-
fects Of the application are quite as marked
upon these soils as upon any other. Then it
Is supposed that it is a difficult and cxpen-
siye process to burn lime. Very much Of
this article is made upon the farms where it
IS used without even q kiln for burning, as we
shall show in an illustrated article next
month. The lime caR be made by the most
uuskilled labor, and with the roughest and
cheapest kinds Of fuel Wherever there is
lime rock and cheap fael, we have no doubt
the lime can be furnished at less than twenty
cents bushel. In the vicinity Of cities and
large towns, oyster shells accumulate in guam
titles, and can be put to better use than road
making and grading. They are easily redu-
ced with brush or peat, and afford cheap lime
and generally of better quality than the rock
yields. We desire to have the experiment
made in other States on a scale large enough
10 settle the question. We believe many of
our farmers viii doubtless find it TO their in
terest to use Hme.--4Beerieaa AgYictdtJrist.