The Little River news. (Ashdown, Little River County, Ark.) 1897-current, 1917-08-29

For Stock-Grain Is Needed
For Human Food.
Fly D. F. Hungerford, Assistant Agron-
omist University of Arkansas.

|
Live stock growers in Arkansas are
| becoming more interested in the clio
vers and alfalfa because the demanf
| for grain as human food has so in
creased the price that live stock men
must rely upon legume hay largely to
| take the place OF grain in feeding
| their animals.
Those who attempt to raise these
legumes should remember that al
falfa and most of the common Glow
ers require a soil that is we'll sup
piled with lime to insure their best
development. Soil acidity, which
means the absence of lime from q
and sweet clover. Neither of these
crops appear to be able to resist, per.
manently, even slight degree OF
acidity. Red clover is nearly as SEN
sitive to an acid condition as alfalfa.
White, also crimson and burr clover
are slightly more resistant, but will
not do we'll on soils that have even
q medium acidity. Japan clover OF
lespedeza appears to be the most re-
sistant of all the clovers to acid con
dition; but even though it will grow
to limited extent on very acid soils,
it does much better on soils contain
ing lime.
How To Determine If Your Soil
Aeeds Lime
The simplest method Of determin-
ing if soil needs lime is to test it
with litmus paper. Litmus paper
can be secured at most drug stores.
1t comes In two colors-red and blue.
The blue is used for the test Much
of the litmus paper carried by drug
gists is of an inferior quality and is
not sufficiently sensitive for the test.
That which is put UP in small Eias
by Squibble and by Merck e. Co. has
been found to be satisfactory.
To make the test in the field time
is selected after a rain when the soil
is moist A ball of moist soil Is
broken apart, a strip OF the blue lit
| mus paper inserted, and the soil
pressed together again. After five
or ten minutes the paper is taken out
| and if it has turned pink the soil is
acid. Tests should be made in sew
eral parts of a field that is being
examined to eliminate errors. The
iitmus paper test is not absolutely re-
| liable even in the hands of trained
workman and is sometimes mislead
ing when used by the inexperienced
person. It is so simple and mex
pensive, however, that every farmer
should test his soil. Then if there is
any doubt about it sample may be
sent to the Department of Agronomv
of the Agricultural Experiment Sta
ton at Fayetteville where it will be
tested free of charge.
Form Of Lime To Use.
II it is desired to grow clover or
alfalfa on soil that has been found
| to be acid, lime in some form must
be used to correct the acdity or the
attempt to get a stand is almost Ger
| tain to be a failure. Lime may be
applied az ground limestone, ground
! shells, ground burned lime, Stacked
lime, or wood ashes. The safest and
usually the cheapest form of lime to
use is ground limestone or ground
shells An unlimited amount of such
material could be used without in.
| Jury; whereas il an excessive amount
Of burned or Stacked lime or wood
ashes is used. the crop may be in
! iurai and much humus destroyed in
the soil. However, if the burned Or
Stacked lime is used in moderate
quantities (not to exceed 1900 pounds
per acre. no injury will result In
most cases it will be found more sat
isfactory to use the ground limestone.
because it is cheaper. less unpleas-
ant to handle, and is safer.
! Ground limestone should be applied
| at the rate Of about two tons per
acre. If very large proportion OF
the material consists Of coarse parti-
cles from one-eighth to one-fourth
inch in diameter larger quantity
should be used. The finer the rock
! is ground the more quickly it becomes
available, but the finer grinding adds
materially to the cost of production;
| hence in many cases, it is cheaper to
use three or four tons of the coarse
material rather than two tons of fine
1y ground rock. In no case, however,
should ground limestone be purchased
which contains particles larger than
one-fourth inch and a large proper
ton of all limestone used should con.
sist of fine powder
| Ground limestone may be spread
| with special lime distributors. many
styles of which are on the market, or
it may be spread from wagon with
| shovels. In case the latter method is
| used care should be taken to insure
| an even distribution, otherwise the
crop will not be uniform. 1t should
be spread on plowed ground and eth.
er disked or narrowed in. Lime should
never be plowed under as that burics
it too deeply to be of benefit to the
terminating seed which needs it
| most.
4 Ground IiuoctOnp chnu1d alwavc n,