The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1946-07-18
County Agent
News
WHY LIME soDs?

This is the first of a series of
four articles dealing with the use
of lime on Noble County farms. It
has been my observation that fail
ure to use sufficient lime on both
crop and pasture land is the most
important single factor limiting the
farm income of Noble county farm
operators.
For good many years there has
existed the practice of applying
lime to land that has been pre-
pared prior to the seeding of wheat
or prior to the planting of corn.
For some reason or another, the
impression has existed for many
years that this is the best place to
apply lime This probably is not
true; but if it is true, the question
naturally arises as to how farmers
got in the habit of applying lime
at these periods rather than on sod
land. This is probably a carry over
from earlier times when burned
forms of lime were used rather
than agricultural ground limestone.
When the burned forms were used,
the reaction was very quick and
application Immediately prior to
the seeding of wheat or the plant
ing of corn was effective at once
However since the advantages of
agricultural ground limestone have
become generally accepted and the
greater portion of the lining mat
erial is of this form another fac
tor must be ta' Z. into considera-
ton and that is the matter of time.
If agricultural ground limestone
were ground fine enough so that it
all passed through a 200 mesh
sive, it would then be very largely
Immediately available. However,
the cost of making limestone this
fine would be so great that the
purchase of this form could not be
very we'll justified by the general
farm.
The Ohio Agricultural Expert
ment Station conducted an expert
ment to determine the returns
from agricultural ground lime
stone when applied at different
times in the crop rotation. When
applied to the sod the fall before
corn, the increased crops at the end
of the first four years had value
of 1881. When applied to land
that had been prepared for wheat
and just before wheat seeding, at
the end of four years the increased
yield of crops had value of $l7.O9.
When applied to land that had
been prepared for corn and just
before corn planting time, at the
end of four years the increased
yield of crops had value of $13.89.
When one considers the ease of
handling and the cost of diStrlbu-
ton in a consideration of these
yield increases, it appears evident
that by far the most profitable
place to apply agricultural ground
limestone and fine limestone meal
is on the sod land the fall before
Fl goes into corn. When all OF the
data from this and other expert
ments and field trials are put to-
gether it appears perfectly safe to
conclude that the proper place to
apply lime in the crop rotation IS
any convenient time on the SOD
land. This does not mean that 1t IS
not profitable to apply lime TO
land that has been prepared Tor
corn or wheat but that it is more
profitable to get it on earlier SO
that there is more time for the
materials to react in the soils be-
fore the advent of the clover or
other legume crop. One must, there
fore, very logically conclude that
for any time in the year now is
the proper time to apply lime to
the sod land in the rotation. The
only exception would be after the
meadow crop had made sufficient
growth in the spring that the
spreading of lime over it would
prove damaging but the lime may
very properly be applied in a mea-
dow at any other time and to pas
lures at any time except when the
soil is sealed by ice as is sometimes
the case in mid-Winter. Lime ap-
piled on ice in mid-winter may be
washed off by rain before it has
an opportunity to reach the soil.
Would it not be the part of wis
dom to place your lime orders
early and tell your delivery man
to bring it any time that is con.
yenient to him so that it may be
on hand for yol to work on at any
convenient time n its distribution
over your meadow and pasture
lands. The better plan, if ycu can
get your delivery man to under
take the job, is to have him spread
the lime on your sod land when he
brings it to the farm. Why do the
job the hard way when there S an
easier and better way? Lime your
hay and pasture lands now.
FLOYD HENDERSON