The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-03-26
APPLICATION OF LIME.

The report comes from England that
there is a great revival of interest in
the employment of lime. During the
past few years many farmers have Civ
en- up the custom, long followed, of
aDplying a large dose of lime to their
land every seven years. They have en-
ploved commercial fertilizers, chiefly
for the reason that they produced an
effect much quicker. Observing farm
ers and landlords have at last noticed
that grass lands are suffering for an
application of lime. The meadows
Weld less hay, which is of poorer quail
ity. Some of the best grasses have
disappeared from pastures, and their
places are occupied by weeds and
MOSES. The sandy soils are less pro-
ductive than when they were periodi-
cally treated with lime. Their hard
CLAW soils have become much more
compact, and consequently much hard
er to work. The opinion has become
general that the old custom of apply
ing dose of lime 10 most soils once
in seven years should be restored. 1t
is found that the teams as well as men
on most farms are idle during several
| weeks in the winter, and they can be
| employed to good advantage in haul
| ing and spreading burned lime, chalk,
and mari. In many places lime-kiins
that have not been in use for many
years have been put in operation, and
| contracts made for furnishing lime to
| farmers. Preparations are also made
| for working numerous deposits of
mari, some of which have been tenn
| porarily abandoned. Chalk is in de-
| mand, and machines are in operation
| for crushing it In some eases con-
| tracts have been made with Transports
ton companies for carrying it long
| distances and in large quantities.
The employment of lime for agricul-
/ tural purposes has been exceedingly
| limited in most parts of this country
| for various reasons. In the New Eng
| land states the amount of limestone
was small and was poorly distributed.
| That which did exist was difficult to
| quarry and very hard to pulverize. 1t
| required to be burned before it could
be used, and the cost of transportation
rendered its employment expensive.
| In several of the states the soil origin
| ally contained so much lime that the
| application of it was unnecessary.
| This was the case in Kentucky and
| Tennessee. Chalk beds are somewhat
| uncommon in this country, and those
| that do exist have not been worked. a
few farmers in nearly every state have
| used lime in some form, and have been
| well satisfied with the result. In sew
eral of the southern states lime is pre-
pared for agricultural purposes in a
| very simple manner A pile of logs
| and brusiwood is made, thin pieces of
stone placed on top, and a fire started.
The result is a mass of guicklime and
ashes These are carted off to the
fields and scattered a sufficient time
before crop is planted to give the
lime a chance to slake. This method
OF forming lime is practical whenever
fuel is cheap and limestone is in the
immediate vicinity. 1t may not pay in
most of the western states to purchase
lime for applying 10 land at the price
that builders pay for it. 1t is often the
case, however, that farmers can obtain
lime that has been wet or become an
slaked at nominal price. With thl:
they can experiment and ascertain 1t
value for producing grass. clover, ant
cultivated crops. In most eountrie
the use of lime becomes a necesslt.
after growing crops have removed IRON
the soil one of the most essential eie
ments of plant nutrition