The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-17
LIND and qvpsum as Fertilizers.

For some years past the agricultural
papers have contained many articles con-
corning the utility or non-utility of lime
and gypsum, when applied to land for the
purpose of benefiting growing crops, says
the Practical Farmer. These articles
taken together show pretty general con-
: currence OF experience to the effect that
applications of lime and gypsum, as such,
do not now show the very marked results
| they once did From thirty to forty
| years ago the practice Of lining land was
very general in this section, but it
gradually declined and has appar-
emily nearly ceased. Before lining came
into fashion. the use of gypsum or land
plaster was very general among our best
| farmers, Notwithstanding the fact that it
cost them from $40 TO SIS per ton in large
| Jumps and not less than - per ton addi-
tional to get it ground. Yet they thought
| it paid them we'll to buy and use it at this
| cost. This was New York gypsum, which
! is less pure than the Nova Scotia. After
| the land has been lined, so to 60 bushels
/ per acre being the usual dressing, appli-
! cation of gypsum ceased to show any'very
marked results, and its use was very gen
| orally discontinued. For twenty years
! past very little lime or gypsum, as such,
! have been used by our farmers. But, of
| course, as many of them now buy pretty
| largely of the various "phospnates' in
the market, they necessarily also buy
| and apply large amounts of lime, in the
form of gypsum, which all these phos-
pilates contain. Sometimes, and on some
soils, these phosphates, even when they
are compounded with little or no nitrogen
| or potash, show a very efficient action in
| increasing the yield Of crops. Now | have
often wondered whether part of the good
| results they give, is not due to the gyp-
Il
gets any credit for it. So | determined
this year, to try some experiments for my
own satisfaction. l wished to make an
| experiment with scarlet or crimson
clover, sowing it in corn at the last
working; and so five acres were selected
for this purpose. And, by the way, 1
consider clover to be the only proper
plant with which to test the util-
| ity of lime or gypsum because if this
plant does not respond to such applica-
ton, it may be assumed that no other
will One acre was lined early in the
spring, fifty bushels to the acre, the lime
| carefully Stacked and spread evenly and
well narrowed in, No application of any
sort was made on the remaining four
acres, until at the last working of the
| corn, JULY II, one acre was sown with
gypsum, about 500 pounds, and the whole
plot of five acres seeded to scar
| let clover and then cultivated shallow for
! the last time.
Now for results as far as they show to
I date. I am writing Aug IT, On the part
! that had neither lime nor gypsum, the
! clover has not made a very good catch.
| The seed was good and it started all right,
| but the season so far has been unfavor-
able, hot and dry, showers light and far
apart A cousidera bic percentage of the
! clover plants, on the part referred TO,
! have evinently failed to pass
| safely through the critical periods
/ of termination and early infancy.
| The plants that have survived, gen
| orally show only the seed leaves, with
| one and sometimes two other leaves be-
sides Where the gypsum was sown
| there are two or three times as many
plants growing. Many of them show
three and four leaves besides the seed
/ leaves, and they now almost cover the
/ ground with their foliage while on the
piece having neither lime nor gypsum
you carnot see the plants at all, at a dis
, lance of three or four rods Where the
| land was lined the clover has also made
a good catch and is doing well, and is
| only q little behind that on the gypsum
plat. I shall watch this experiment
carefully to the end, and when the final
results appear shall have more to say
about it. But II, by the use OF lime and
gypsum in my clover, some in corn, / have
| secured a much better catch and a more
vigorous growth so far. / am in little
! doubt as TO what the outcome will be.
| Lime costs from 3 cents to cents per
bushel, unslacked. Of the kiln, and Nova
/ Scotia gypsum, delivered in small lots,
about 50 per ton.