The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1894-03-24
Aaritulture.
Use of Limo on Land.


Theo. b. Terry of Ohio has lately
been in Pennsylvania holding insti-
tutes. In that state lime is more used
as fertilizer than In any other, many
farmers who have limestone land
burning large quantities every year.
OF course Mr.. Terry heard much about
lime in his talks with farmers, and he
writes in the practical Farmer" about
this subject, as discussed by Rev. l. s.
Frain of Clearfeld and others. When
Mr.. Frain began using lime he expert
mented so as to find out just what
quantity he should apply per acre on
his farm. He had asked some one who
used it, and they said put on 100 BUSH
els; others said 200, and some told him
this amount would ruin his land and
crops, that he should only put on 40
or so bushels. Well, he applied 25
bushels on an acre for wheat, and so
on another acre, IS on a third, and so
on up to 500 bushels. The 300 bushels
proved too much for the wheat, but
did not injure the land permanently
He concluded that the best results
came where he applied $50 bushels per
acre, measured after it was Stacked.
Now what were the results? Forty
bushels of good plump wheat per acre
on all the land right through that he
experimental on, on the average. His
last crop had been seven bushels.
He had raised as high as twelve.
Next he put in fifty acres of wheat
on land where he had applied
150 bushels per acre of lime right
through on all of it. Result, 1,725
bushels of wheat that weighed Ga
pounds to the measured bushel. Mr..
Frain soon paid for his farm and
bought another, and he told US that il
he had not used some money to buy
blooded stock, he could now pay all up
for the second farm. He said that now
nearly every farmer within three miles
of him was burning and spreading
lime. He has limestone on his land.
1t is limestone soil. He does not be-
lieve in drawing out the lime and put
ting it in small piles, as is frequently
done with both lime and manure. You
get too much where the pile is, and can
never afterward spread it as evenly as
you could right from the wagon. He
spreads with manure spreader,
with lime hood on, to prevent the
wind from blowing it all over. This
hood comes down within six inches or
so of the ground. The lime is put in a
great pile, thousands of bushels of it.
He said he had large pile that had
stood since May. AS it Stacks on the
outside he draws it away and spreads
it. Mr.. f. says always put it on the
surface, as it will work down fast
enough, that is, spread it on land
after blowing, and not just before
blowing, so it will be plowed down.
The practice which he particularly adj
vised, however, was to put the lime on
young clover same as | do manure).
When asked whether he would apply
manure in connection with it he re-
piled, mo, never" Put the manure
on some other time. He said that it
would do very well to put lime on sod
in the fall, ana plow the next spring.
The lime would then work down
through the soil before blowing, and
so would not be turned down when
one plowed, but every time he re-
peated that the best results would
come from putting on young clover.
Nearly all farmers here agree that it
is useless to put lime on bare, run
down, poor land. There should be
sod or some vegetable matter plowed
down with it. Mr.. Davis said he had
thrown away hundreds of dollars
worth of clover seed, trying to make
something out of clover before he be-
gan lining, Plow under good sod,
spread lime, harrow, SOW wheat and
clover seed, and then it would grow.
He uses only about 40 to so bushels per
acre of Stacked lime. This gives him
the desired result. Perhaps it will not
last as long as $50 bushels per acre,
but he thinks better to put on less and
more often, if ecessary.-Farmers Re-
view.