Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-03-15
LIME AND MANURE.

The members of the Farmers
Social were the guests of Mr.. Joseph
Gelbach, of Hamiltonban township,
last Thursday. The use Of lime and
barnyard manure in farming offered a
subject for an unusually interesting
discussion.
Forty years ago four-fifths Of the
cleared surface of this country was
poor very poor" farned out' and
sterile. Something new had to be
done. Eastern Pennsylvania had be-
gun lining, and the good effects as re-
ported through journals of that section
notably the Germantown Telegraph
were repeated and enforced by at
least one of the Gettysburg papers
with all its enthusiasm and directness.
The older farmers bristled with op-
position, but their juniors, whose fu-
ture had to be made, fell in with the
young editor and gave all possible
practical aid to the new theory. Con.
siderable good was soon observed, but
in about ten years lining became
quite general and its beneficent re-
suits were throughout apparent.
Wherever it failed for a time the
cause was found to be attributable to
.the want of vegetable matter cd or in
the soil.
The natural result Of all was the in
crease of grass, larger corn crops and
the ability OF the average farmer to
winter and fatten steers ; and thus
was produced the vegetable matter
necessary to the lime doing its best
work, and to cause nearly all sections
of the county "to bloom as the rose."
Lining was the first step in the march
of improvement that has brought
Adams county into the first rank Of
production, as it has always been
among the handsomest in location and
natural features.
OF late years, most of the land lin
ed at all having received two or
more applications, the practice has al.
most ceased, and the more readily
handled commercial fertilizers used
instead. Several of the members of
the Social thought that at this time Of
low prices for grain, farmers could
not afford TO lime, and that about the
only thing left was the liberal appli-
cation of the best fertilizers on the
market. All agreed that cost and
labor should have large influence in
deciding whether to lime or not, and
that some small crop test should
be made as to the necessity existing
for it.
1t used to be said that it would
never do to apply lime and manure to
the same land in the same season, and
yet the blowing down of barnyard
manure upon oats stubble and then
the spreading of lime on top, has re-
suited in large crops of wheat and fine
stands of grass, the latter lasting all
the longer on account OF the help
given by the lime. The chemistry Of
the books is good thing, but the un-
educated agriculturist occasionally
finds something in his practice that is
better.
Several of the members keep up
lining, applying about thirty bushels
to the acre every six or seven Yeas.
and declare the cost to be much more
than made up by the increase of pro-
duction and the continued better
heart of the soil.
The application OF commercial ferti-
lizers is now greater than ever, and
will continue TO grow as long as the
fact that there is "no limit to produc-
tons is appreciated. Sound judg-
ment must dictate when and how to
do a thing rightly, and unfiagging in
dustry to furnish the power. Lining
has led to The growing of ten times as
much grain and grass in Adams
County in these days as was produced
thirty years ago, with corresponding
in the comforts and sur
rourdings of farmers generally
GettySb,Uy Pa Compiler.