The Baltimore County union., 1881-10-29
GROUND RAW LIMEsToNE AS A FER.
TrLfzER.
BY COMMON SENSE.

properly attended with some difficulty.
The best farmers are like the best poll.
ticians, they are conservative in all
that is good, and progressive in all that
is better )" but they, Of course, want to
know whether new thing is better be-
fore they adopt it. In this communica-
tion we wish to give farmers of this class
some facts about Ground Raw Limestone,
which show that for some season or
other il shows itself, in actual use, to
produce extraordinary results and then
to suggest the probable reason Of its
great efficiency as fertilizer.
Ii has been observed by many, both
in Europe and this country, that the
"scrapings" from streets Of towns where
lime stones are used for making roads,
when used for fertilizing, is found very
effective.
Amy farmer who has lived along the
line Of the National Road, has observed
that the side Of the fields next to the
road is the most productive, owing to
the dust from the limestone road being
blown on it and incorporated with the
soil. A farmer in Virginia writes that
the land alongside Of the road from
Staunton to Winchester has been fertil-
lied by the dust from the road macada-
mized with limestone.
II has been asserted that but one
farmer in Pennsylvania has tested it,
Mr.. Reed, Of Erie but the fact is hun
dreds Of farmers in Western Pennsyl-
vania and Eastern Ohio have tested il,
and there is very remarkable uniform
ity in the good results they report. The
claim that il is very much more valuable
than burned lime, is no longer 4 ques-
tion that can be successfully disputed.
The evidence in its favor is ovcrwhclm.
ing.
The faeks being as stated, can they be
accounted for in satisfactory manner ?
We believe the reason is just as plain as
the facts. 1t is acknowledged that
"Limestone lands" are the best farming
lands in their original state. In early
times, all through the Eastern States,
and rs far west as Ohio, Indiana and
Kentucky, the limestone lands pro-
duced the best crops. II is very evident
there was no burnt lime in the original
soil-nature had no lime kilns at work,
but ground up limestone rocks by frost
and rain, and made the limestone lands
in this natural way.
Now these lands are not rs productive
as they once were, and why9 evidently
because the farmer has been taken out
with his crops something out Of the land
Iasktrt than he can put it back again. What
is it which he has thus been taken out !?
As the land was limestone land, it must
have been something contained in raw
limestone. Now what is there in grain
and all kinds of produce of the soil that
there is in raw limestone, because this
will show what was taken out Of the soil.
The answer is very plain-Carbon.-
Raw ground limestone contains forty
six (46) per cent. Of carbonic acid, and
this is readily held in solution by water,
and conveyed with the sap into the roots.
OF course, to do this, the raw limestone
must be fine. Lumps of limestone con.
tain carbonic acid the plant wants, but
it cannot get at it until the limestone is
made into dust like that which Is blown
on the fields from the National Road.
OF course, in burning limestone, all the
carbon is destroyed, and the farmer
loses 4o per cent Of "Plant Food"
II has been asserted that plants only
get their carbonic acid from the atmos-
phere, but anyone who has read elbow
Crops Crow" can find abundant evi.
dence that plants get carbonic acid from
the ground more than from the atmos.
phere. To say that plant cannot get
the carbon from ground which is so es-
sential to its life, but must get it all from
the atmosphere, is great deal like say
ing to you and me, "You need meat and
bread to make you a strong and healthy
man; you may eat the meat, but you
must take the bread by absorption, on
the Livv Pat System" Do you not
think this would be pushing the liver
pad theory to the extremel And when
you are told that plant must get all its
carbonic acid through its leaves, but can
not get any from its roots, when nature
has provided it so literally in the best
limestone lands-do you not think there
must have been some oversight?
The most remarkable discoveries are
those which are most simple. We have
been sending to Peru for guano, and to
Charleston Harbor for phosphate, and
turning up our nose practically at Ma
TIRES aoreho1se Of fertilizers in our
limestone deposits. or course, it is not
asserted that other fertilizers have no
value, nor that they should not be used
in some proportions with Ground Raw
Limestone. We believe all this, but
the expense will be materially reduced
even If used in this way.
It is, Of course, to be expected that
parties having investments in lime klns
will, in many cases, be unwilling to ad-
init the superior merit Of Ground Raw
Limestone, and as many are now doing,
seek to discredit it and prevent farmers
from trying il; but il it has the essen
tial elements Of success, we have en-
deavored to show-intelligen farmers
will not rest until they put the matter to
a practical test, especially when it can
he done at so little expense.
The only caution is to be sure to use
enough rather than too little. The
quantity that will be demanded for fall
crops, bids fair to be simply enormous.
Totten & Co., Of Pittsburg, Pa, can
give all necessary information as to cost
Of preparing the Ground Raw Lime
stone.
1t is very certain that there can be
nothing in burned limestone that is not
Al N