The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-11-15
COUNTY AGENTS COLUMN.
J. L. M'GLONE,
Resident County Agent,
Office, Court House.
Farmers Urged to put Lime on Their
Fields

farm work of the year out of the way,
farmers should begin to think of the
application of lime to their land, it is
J declared by L. E. Erdman, soil specia-
! list for the University of Maryland
| Experiment Station. Lime may be
put on the land at any time of the
year, it is said, but the next few
months seem to be the most advanta-
geous from the standpoint of labor.
Because of the constant teaching of
Maryland soils it has been found that
at least seventy-fve per cent of the
farm lands in the State will respond
to lining in one form or another.
Moreover, it is pointed out that this
situation is ceratin to become more
acute as intensified farming increases.
Of the reactions resulting from the
application of lime to the land the
most important probably is that of
! sweetening the soil. Clover and alfalfa
which will not produce good stands in
soil because it is "sour" or acid often
respond to lime. Lime will also make
plant food more available and in this
way really act as fertilizer. it also
promotes the growth of beneficial
bacteria.
There is no one form of lime which
is better than another, it is declared,
for experiments have been made at
the University which show that all
forms are effective. Either burned
limestone, ground limestone, mari,
or oyster shells can be used with
satisfactory results. The factor of
cost, however, is important and will
depend upon the price of the respec-
tive materials in given community,
the percentage of calcium oxide they
contain and the availability of the
calcium oxide as determined by the
! fineness of the product.
Information on this point can be
! secured from the county agent, who
will also test soil for farmers who de-
| sire to know the proper quantities of
lime to apply.
Potato Blight Found Severe This Sea-
Late potato blight, disease re-
sponsible for quick and heavy losses,
is prevalent in some of the leading
potato producing counties of the State
this year and is particularly severe
on some varieties, it is reported by
DR.. R. A. Jehl, plant pathologist for
the University of Maryland Extension
Service.
The disease, it is reported, is equal
ly as severe as it was last year when
peculiar weather conditions brought
it into prominence in the northern
counties of the State. Fields have re-
Gently been inspected by DR.. Jehle in
Baltimore and Howard counties and
were found heavily infected. The Jer-
sey Red Skin variety, which many
growers have substituted for the old
Mccormick, is particularly suscep-
tible to the disease and infection on
the vines of this variety was most
noticeable.
In most cases, it is reported, only
the vines show evidence of the disease.
There is some tuber infection, how
ever, and unless the potatoes are dug
before another heavy rain, spores of
the disease will be washed from the
vines into the ground, injecting the
potato themselves.
The disease effects the tuber by
killing the skin and can be detected
by the black sunken spots on the
surface. The discoloration frequently
extends we'll into the potato and
organisms of other diseases gain en-
trance and speedily render the tuber
worthless.
There is no effective remedy for the
disease and growers are advised to
dig their potatoes as soon as possible.
If there is evidence of blight on the
tubers after they are dug, they should
not be stored but should be marketed
at once, it is said.
Thus far no late blight has been
discovered in the potato growing
counties of the lower eastern shore.
Club Members Make Money on Baby
Beeves
Washington and Frederick county
All club members have demonstrated
that baby beeves, fed to weight of
about one thousand pounds and nicely
finished, can be produced successfully
on an economic basis in Maryland I'M
der prevailing market conditions, it
is pointed out by X. A. Clark, live
stock specialist for the University of
Maryland Extension Service.
The first attempt to produce this
class of beef cattle in Maryland was
undertaken last year in Washington
county when fifteen All club men,
bers, under the direction of County
Agent M. D. Moore, fed out fifteen
steer calves. This year in the same
county, forty-fve animals were raised
by club members while eight were