The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-03-05
TO MAKE SAND
PRODUCTIVE
WRITER IN INSTRUCTIVE AR.
TICLE TELLS HOW FARM
ERS MAY BUILD UP
THEIR SANDY LAND
TO RAISE ANY
THING.

Mr.. VIM. O'keefe hands us thi.
clipping from the Feb. 5th issue o
The Breeders Gazette" The articl,
was written by Joseph E. Wing anc
is highly instructive to farmers, tell
ing how worthless sand and swami
lands may be chemically treated, tC
become gradually highly productive
of clover, corn and alfalfa crops.
"A reader has a farm in northern
Indiana, part of which is a black sol
swamp land newly drained, and par
sandy upland. He asks whether h,
can grow alfalfa on the sandy land
and what he should do to improve it
Probably all of this land need:
lime. Sandy soils when we'll supplied
with lime tend to grow very rich
when deficient in lime they leach Out
and become poor The swamp land
probably also needs lime and potash
Then as it is we'll filled now with de-
caying organic matter it should be
very productive, especially for crops
of corn and hay
Even the swamp land is likely very
deficient in lime; with lime it raight
grow good alfalfa, red clover or al
most anything, and if clovers can be
grown upon it it can be kept in fer
t;lity for long time and from its
stores the uplands may be enriched
by feeding the crops grown there TO
animals and putting the manures on
the sandy uplands
| should not attempt much inn
provement of this sandy land without
first lining it thoroughly we'll If
ground limestone is to be had at a
reasonable price, say at $3.50 per ton
on cars at your siding, you can afford
to use of it about to 12 tons per
acre, distributing it, well and mixing
i through the soil. After that |
should seed clovers with a good fer
iilizer rich in phosphates. The clovers
may be sown with oats or barley and
these cut off for hay when in bloom,
leaving the clover to take the land.
Whatever farm manure is available
may be used, distributing it thinly
and we'll Since that land is not ready
yet for heavy applications of manure,
it will not at first pay to use manure
in excess of the requirements of the
crop.
Corn may follow the clover, then
more manure and alfalfa, if the lime
has been put on, and with the alfalfa
a liberal amount of phosphorus, with
some potash. Lime is the keynote OF
building soil fertility on hungry soils,
especially if they are sandy or grav-
ely
1T may be asked What does lime
do in the soil?' Plants use compara-
lively little lime in their direct feed
ing There is usually enough lime for
their absorption in even the poores.
soils. What lines does is to make
soils sweet When they are sweet
bacteria thrive in them, thus oil en-
richment by absorption of nitrogen
takes place. Lime makes possible
the accumulation of fertility in this
way; plants decaying make humic
acid; this has in it lot of nitrogen.
1t readily teaches from soils. If there
is lime this acid attacks the lime and
forms new compound, calcium nj
trate. and this does not leach away,
at least not so readily. Thus il is ab-
solutely true that with poor or sandy
soil deficient in lime it is your first
duty to get that lime as a foundation
for soil building Why the ground
limestone? Because it is harmless in
the soil in any amounts; you could
use 100 tons to the acre wiyh no es-
pecial injury, while burned lines
must be used with more caution,
since they attack all organic sub
stances and destroy humus, yet any
lime is good if used right. Eight tons
TO the acre of ground limestone is
only 100 pounds TO the square rod, a
small enough amount; twice that
would be better. 1t will endure till
the acids of the soil have completely
eaten il up"