The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-06-29

and humus to grow this crop successfully
and athen one cannot be sure of a crop.
About the county it is very noticeable that
the farms where ashes or lime have been
used are the ones where the best clover
is grown. More lime Is being used and
more attention is being given to the rails
ing of better clover, at the same time the
results which are being obtained with al
falfa justify in recommending that alfalfa
should be experimental with much more
than it now IS.
LINE REQUIREMENT TEST. Until
recently there has been no practical meth
cd for determining the amount of lime
needed on any particular field. The lit
mus test indicated in a rough way whether
the soil was acid or not, but it gave no
idea as to the amount of lime needed to
neutraize the acidity in one acre Fortu-
nately a test has been worked UP at the
/ Vermont agricultural experiment station,
which can be used by the county agents
and which will give the approximate
amount of lime needed, if any is needed
| In the summer of 1914 a testing appara-
tus was purchased by the county associa-
ton, and up to date some 300 fields have
| been tested and the results reported to
| the owners The results of these tests
! SHOW several interesting facts First, that
most fields are acid and need lime; sec
ond, that there IS a great variation in the
lime requirement of fields not far apart;
third that the heavier soils on the hills
need more lime than the light, sandy
loans along the river valleys. 1t Is OBJ
Vious that this test is of much value as a
guide in the amount of lime to use per
Iacre. These tests are made by the county
agent or they can be sent to Burlington to
the Vermont experiment station.
The use of lime is longtime invest
ment and many who believed that they
needed lime have not used it because OF
the high cost. Freight rates have been
against us, but very recently special rates
have been made on raw limestone and om
farmers are able to purchase this product
put up in paper bags for less than $3.5G
per ton delivered at points along the Con
tnecticut river. At this price lime is
good investment and our farmers are us
ing it in very much larger quantities
What form of lime to use is a very com
mon and a very pertinent question. There
, are at least dozen different kinds of lime
: all selling for different prices. The Yer
mont experiment station tells us tina
t there is danger in the use of caustic o.
burned lime on light, sandy soils, also, il
the use of this form within two or thre
weeks OF planting or seeding. Wlth thes
: exceptions they advise rs to use the form
which gives us 100 pounds of actual linn
= lcalcium oxide) put down on the field il
suitable condition for the least money A
many points at the present time this mean
4 raw limestone This product is unburnet
1 and is usually considered to be rather SLOW
t acting, but the results that are being oh
f tanned from it seem to indicate that it i
T quicker acting than was supposed.
There are several limestone lodges il
y this county In the towns of Wilmington
$ Athens, and Jamaica this rock runs fror
e so to 90 per cent carbonate of lime, whic
: is a fair grade of rock. There are eight o
10 lodges which run lower in carbonate
G If portable crusher and pulverizer coul
! be moved from place to place it is prot
i able that the immediate localities NIGH
y secure their limestone for less money an
a still allow a fair margin for the man VIII
Il did the crushing. There is less incentive
n however, since the cost Of limestone ha
|, been reduced from Sc ton down to So )
v a ton.
d COOPERATIVE BUYING. A farme
is a manufacturer, and lime, fertilizer an
It feed are the raw materials which he ha
lie TO purchase, and when several farmers clu