The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-11-24
Lime as a Fertilizer.


We take the following letter from the Shen-
ane1oat Vlt1ley of last week. Time after time
we have urged our farmers to turn their at
tention to the permanent improvement of their
lands by the use of lime, and discard the COM
mercial fertilizers, many Of which are posi-
tive injury TO the soil. There is scarcely
farm in the Valley upon which lime kiln
could not be burned at but little expense 1t
will pay to remove the limestone from the
field; the cost of building the kiln is mere
trifle; a good, level headed farm hand can COM
plete the entire job in few days, and the fuel
can be secured by cleaning up the fallen tim
Der in the woods, and the old stumps in the
field There is no better season than the
present for this work, and there is no other
employment for the season that will pay the
farmer half so well. A good kiln built in the
side of bank will last for years, and every
year it will bring in handsome revenue for
the amount expended upon it. The difference
between lime and the commercial fertilizers is
simply this the one is a natural, the other an
artificial stimulant; the one is lasting bene-
fit the other forces the soil for single season,
and leaves it exhausted The effect of lime
upon the soil is as food and water to the ami
NAL system; the effect of majority of the |
commercial fertilizers is as Intoxicating LIQUOR.
The one builds up and strengthens the other |
stimulates tor time but saps the real life |
Lime is the natural fertilizer of tbe Valley |
SOILS II restores the very properties which |
crops feed upon and extract The soil of the |
valley and the soil of Pennsylvania are so |
nearly allied that naturally, they are almost |
loentical They rest upon the same geologi- |
cal basis. The system by which the Pennsvl |
wanna lands have been brought to such hich |
state OF cultivation would be equally success
ful If applied to the Valley lands. We ask
eur farmers to carefully read the following
ietter, and act upon the suggestions il CON
tains
Nr. Edttor:-Having had the pleasure of soiourn
Tug snort time in this portion Of the Cumberland
valley and seeing the highly cultivated conditinr
OF Its lands, endeavored, as much as possible to
learn me way in which the farmers manage and
3h. lneir SOL, thinking that few useful hints
might be obtained and reported for the benefit ~
your Agricultural readers. L had the pleasure Of |
rloing on the train from Hagerstown Md to Ie |
Danon, Pa, with three gentlemen who had bee, ~ |
nocklngham county, Va, for the purpose OF huving
L OF info
Wy ~ Is needless to say that they were not pleas
ed, Tor they had never been out of their own Sto+a
ginie sa uiere1ce between the appearance vtr
gina farms and theirs is great that thew came IN
me conclusion that Virginia had been grossly mis- |
ffepfesented OF course. this was an IN
favorable one, owing to the drouth that preyaiIed
put 1t also prevailed with them In Pennsyj vania
ny tnen does their land appear better than ours
because OF the loose and porous condition ~ lie
SOIL making 1t better absorbent, enabling II to an
propflate the Dourishment within the ground As
well as that In the air, in plant growth. They had
Mir mast |
GOOD as In midsummer and their grain 1leIds look
to I Eaa as soaded meadows-many pasturing them
loosen up their soil Z? By using Lime and mannre
exclusively. was astonished to learn that not a
Poanu OF chemicals or phosphate has been used in
Dauphin, Lebanon, Somerset counties the most
oeautrui counties through which passed
Every farm that can afford a stationary lime kiln
mas one, and the stone blasted and dug out of
the ground sometimes to depth Of 30 feet Those
"no cannon afford their own lime, buy 1t from men
VINO make business furnish it to farmers at a
COST OF cts. cash, or cts. on u months What
Woulu our virginia lime dealers say to cts FOR
rock lime per bushel OF course it woud nav h l
Wnen tne material can be dug out of the ground to
me aeptn OF 30 to 50 feet and yet be profitable why
Woula II not pay when it is plentiful on the surface?
Farmers have nearly flashed blowing for corn and
nave even hauled the lime on 1t for distribution
1Aey use from 50 to 100 bushels per acre. hauling ii
on small heaps do manure This is done
every years, which is regularly and always corn
year 1t is a well known fact that lime is the most
powerful disintegrator vegetable substances and
oy hauling manure and thus producing heavy
vegetable growths the soil must becomee rich' ~
plant food giving back the very elements thai are
extracted by the preceding crop Compare the cost
Oh one lining In years with that Of the Virginia
fertiz1ng in the same period and the question ans
Wers Itself which is the cheaper besides the former
Is 80 much more lasting and better for the grass
why, one Oh the gentlemen said, tsWe do not know
what 1t is to fail in grass, no matter how dry orr
grass always stands. Most Of the work at the lime
Kiln Is done "between times; just when they had
nothing else to do, giving more homelabor and
Heeping tne money, spent by virgnans for fertiIiz
ers, IN thelr own midst Their ssclay lands mast
be plowed in the Fall give it time to pulyerize or
~ VIII moi produce the first year" This is some
thing our farmers do not often do, but which evil
dentiy should not be neglected. Their manure is
nauled as last as made and 'sneyer allowed to re-
main in the barn-yard during summer This, too,
shouId De encouraged by all, because when allowed
In large heaps to remain for long time it will 90
tnfough the heating process attending decompo.
stion, giving off the most useful plant nourishine
element ammonia, which 1t contains When the
grain Is too tall to manure spread on the grass
even pasture fields should have remarLaS No.
lately a machine for pulyerizing- lime has been I
erected near Lebanon to enable farmers to drill II
with the wheat as we drill phosphate. Corn yields
are from 70 to 100 bushels wheat from Is to 40
never less than the minimum amount given The
grass crops are simply enormous. l have travelled
to boast Of our beautiful shenandoah Valley
have seen Burks Garden in the southwest but
frankly confess that have seen weII-cared-
TOR farm before passing from Chambersburg to Lee
panon, Pa. Everything about the farms indicate
'nrlft the buildings being large and well arranged
1-the1r oafns having two and three cupolas, some
as many as 80 to 70 windows, the outbuildings all
On the same general plan-the fencing adjoining
painted nicely as well as the buildings and the
yards Astounding with Bramah Cochin China Part
1lage-Coch1n, and Plymouth Rock fowls, The farms
IN size are from 80 to 100 The fields are laid
on regularly and the fences consist of plank and
post and rail mo stake and rider. One of the gen.
tlemen on the train, above alluded to- thar
he chad acre of the limestone land near Charles
.own, w. Va, In Pennsylvania, he would want moth
Hoping that few Of our farmers NAV try lime in
stead OF phosphate next year, so that others may
profit py their example, and that country may
soon appear as that of the Keystone State and ask
Ing pardon Tor this somewhat lengthy letter, am
yours truly, E
Harr