Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1923-08-10
T0DlsTR|BUTE LIME
FREE TO FARMERS
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND AND
.. a p. RAILROAD TO Run
sPEcsNk TRAIN ~ AuousT.
soils WILL Be TESTED
NO. AS.

- @k~NauA tldAus c0ulHpou WIN sui
testing apparatus and carrying Quanti-
ties Of lime for free distribution to
the formers Of the State, will be Op-
eratf ~ the Baltimore and Ohio.
Railroad I'm cooperation with the Uni-
versity OF Maryland and the United
States Department Of Agriculture dur.
ing the week Of August 70 to 26. and
will be the means Of enthAsiEing the
value of lime to agriculture.
The soil testing speciaa" will be
operated over the llAes Of the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad. and will
make a number of stops ID each Of the
counties through which the railroad
runs. A dsanise schedule Of stops at
points in Cecil. Hartford, Baltimore,
Anne Arundel, Prince Georges. How
ard, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett. Allie
sany, Washington. and Montgomery
counties is being arranged aAd will
be announced so that farmers can
meet the train at the nearest stopping
point.
The train will be equipped with soil
testing apparatus and will stop at
each point long enough to test soil
samples brought in by the farmers,
This work will be under the direction
OF DR.. A. @. Mccall, head Of the de
partment of soils OF the UAivsrsity OF
Maryland Experiment Station. The
proper amount Of lime for an acre OF
ground as shown by the test will be
given free of charge to each farmer
and will be unloadsd from the supply
which the train will carry.
THE soil Of seventy7fve cut OF
every hundred fields in Maryland is
sick for the lack OF Hme. and must
have an application Of some form OF
lime bearing material before maximum
crops can be produced" says DR.. Nc
Call
Fortunately Maryland offers a
variety of llmeIbearing materials,
many Of which are being used az a
course OF agricultural lime" he con
tinues. "The finished product is usu-
ally available as "a raw pulveriZed
oyster shells, pulveriEed limestone and
mari; (2) burned limestone or oyster
shells; and go hydrated lime. To
apply these different forms in chem
ically equivalent amounts II ia neces-
sary to make much heavier applica-
tfons Of the pulverized raw limestone
and the hydrated lime than of the
burned form For practical purposes
It Is sufficient to remember that one
ton Of the burned lime Is equivalent
to one and half tons OF the hydrated
form or two tons OF the pulverized
raw limestone or oyster shells.
I'm deciding which form of lime to
use the farmer must take into consid'
Grafton not only the cost Of the ma
terial delivered to his station, but
also the cost OF hauling and handling
from the railroad station to the farm
Farmers living near the station VIII
usually find 1t much more economical
to buy the low priced raw material
while those living from Ave to ter
miles distant may find It advantage
Gus to buy the more expensive con
centrated forms.
Farmers In the counties through
which the soil testing special will
run are urged to have their soil tested
before wheat is seeded this fall. The
success of the hay crop which usually
follows the wheat Is particularly dc.
pendent upon the condition of the sol
with respect to acidIty II on tn
other hand the lime requirement O.
the soil has been met money should
be invested in fertilizer rather thar
In lime.
Samples OF soil to be tested SHOULD
be taken from the field that is to be
seeded to mixed grasses, clover o.
alfalfa A spade or shovel should be
pushed into the ground and worked
back and forth to open up the cut. A
thin slice OF soil from the top to the
bottom of the hole should then be
shaved of and placed on a clean piece
of paper. The same operation should
be repeated in another section OF the
field. II the field is large and uneven,
samples should be secured from Ave
or six different places.
"All samples should be placed on
the same piece of paper and thorough
ly mixed. half-pint OF soil shonld
be taken from this mixture. allowed
to dry and placed in a clean bag or
can which should be numbered and
marked with the name Of the owner.
Around each package should be
sheet Of paper giving the following In
formation:
Name and address.
Location OF the field
Size OF the field.
When last lined
How much lime was used.
Does clover grow well.