VOLLX
INDIANAPOLIS, NOV. 25, 1905.
NO 47
THE VALUK OF LIME TO TIIE
LAND.
Edltora Indiana  l'armer
It freiiueiitly Happens in many localities throughout our country that farmers
accustomed to the use of commercial fertilizers fail to produce good crops of grass
or grain from certain classes of soils, anil
then' wonder what causes the failure.
They know that the land should bring
better returns, und so it will, under the
proper soil conditions; for continual cropping lias removed a soil constituent that
commercial fertilizers do not replace.
One of the most common cases of crop
failure is that of clover, and this, on
soils varying from sandy loam to the
black ground of reclaimed marshes and
bottom lands. The importance of the
clover to the farmer has long been conceded, as it is a reliable stand-by not only
for its forage value but also for its reviving influence upon the land through its
nitrogenous properties.
If the farmers, who liave trouble in securing .a good stand of. clover, will investigate, they doubtless will find a well
established growth of common sorrel in
possession of the fields. The presence of
this plant shows an abnormal condition
of the soil wliich must be corrected, as
soon as possible, if good crops are wanted.
Sorrel, ns every, one familiar with country life knows, is sour to the taste; and
sourness indicates the presence of an acid.
The sour taste of the sorrel is due to the
existence of acid potassium oxalate in the
plant. Crops in general do not thrive
well in fields overrun by this plant; because the land is acid or "sour." Clover,
in particular, can never be grown successfully under such conditions.
Now, ns to the remedy for acid soils.
This depends upon a simple chemical
principle; alkalies or bases neutralize
acids. Two of the most common alkaline substances are wood ashes and lime.
The limited supply of the former precludes its general use; while the great
abundance and ease of preparation of the
latter makes it readily accessible to all
who care to use it.
Lime has been used in Europe for
many centuries, as an aid to soil fertility.
In America its value to the farmer has
been generally admitted and in some sections its use has been quite common. In
fact, many of our farmers, particularly
in the Eastern States, consider it necessary to all successful crop production.
Of all mineral substances ordinarily employed as a land stimulant, lime is the
most important. Chemical analyses of
the ashes of cereals, grasses and other
useful plants, indicate that all crops require varying quantities of it. Lime
may be applied to the land in the form
of quick lime or calcium oxide, the result
of burning limestone or calcium carbonate; in the form of marl and chalk, both
similar in chemical nature to limestone
ami like it too must be burned or calcined
before fitted for a dressing to the land;
and in the form of gypsum or calcium
sulphate which, in the powdered form,
is called  land plaster.
Quicklime, the most common of all lime
field applications, is quite soluble in
water; hence, it can readily perform its
part b.v the help of moisture after it has
been thoroughly worked into tiie soil.
The time of application-, of course, depends upon the crops to be benefitted.
For wheat and clover, the application is
made late in summer jnst after the field is
plowed, so that the lime can be thoroughly mixed with the soil by harrow or cultivator,   before   the   wheat  is   sown.       In
the spring wheu the clover seed is scattered the lime will have so far incorporated itself in the soil as to have neutralized
all acid effects that previously existed;
and if weather conditions are favorable
there will be a good catch of clover by
wheat harvest time.
For corn, it has been the practice with
ni.ii)> fanners to scaler the lime over
the lields before plowing. Tbis method,
perhaps, does not bring the best results
until the next crop, in- rotation, is raised.
The quantities of lime applied to the land
should vary with the condition of the
soils. A small, amount for land of little vegetable make-up, and a larger
amount  for  strong  vegetable  soils,  such
wheat, com and oats. These statements
result from tho experience and observation of the writer.
In the application of lime to the land, it
should be worked into the ground as
soon as possible, because the action of
the carbon- dioxide of the air tends to return it to carbonate of lime, an insoluble
compoiftid. This would make the application of little value. It is the soluble quicklime that does the business in
crop production.
II. S. C.
Bit J  POOP. FABM  PUMPKIN CBOP.
Kditors  Insliana  I-'anni-r
I   saw   iu  the  Farmer  of   November  4
Sngar Creek, near Smiley's  Mill,  Johnson  Co.,  Ind.
as are* found in bottom lands and drained
marshes. Too   much   lime   will   work
great harm to the land, so care must be
taken not to over-dose with the first application.
A great many farmers are prone to
look upon lime as a fertilizer in the same
light as they do upon phosphates. This
is a mistake. Let it be understood that
lime is not a fertilizer in the common acceptance of that term; but that its manurial effects are due, more to its chemical action upon certain constituents of
the soil, than to its nutritive results upon
crops.
To be sure other calcium compounds
appear in n-early all grains and plant
foods, but, the most of these come from
other forms than from the lime or calcium  oxide  applied.
The offices of lime are to render the
carbonate of potash of the soil, through
chemical change, more easily assimilated
by plants, and to counteract the acidity,
os as some say "to sweeten the land,"
an.l through further action to adapt the
soil to the growth and existence of nitrogen collecting bacteria found upon the
roots of clover and legumes, and now considered by agriculturists so essential to
the production of a successful crop.
By the use of the lime not only is the
quality of the soil improved, but tbe
grains and grasses are also bettered in
grade. In some cases earlier harvests
lcsult.
It rids the land of certain troublesome
weed-? and plants, chief among which is
sorrel; it establishes conditions to insure
a good clover crop ami certainly benefits
a statement from II. II., that he had
grown a pumpkin vine in his garden, and
one vino bore 20 pumpkins, the heaviest
weighed 50 pounds, the combined weight
of all the pumpkins was 908 pounds and
ho would like to know* who could beat it.
Well I think Gibson county can beat it.
John Peck, superintendent of the Poor
Farm. Gibson scounty, grew on one pumpkin vine this year, in the garden- on the
poor farm one vine 03 feet long, that matured 39 large pumpkins, the largest
weighing 70 pounds; total weight of 30
pumpkins was 1,505 pounds, or an average weight of 43'/_. pounds to the pumpkins.      Who can  beat it?
J. W. Phillips.
Chairman  Board  County    Commissioners
of Gibson County.
A   GOOD   DOG   WANTED.
Edltora Indiana Fanner:
I have been eagerly watching through
the columns of our dear old paper to see
an advertisement of what we imght call
"a good house dog," one that is useflul,
to stay at home with and take care of the
family in the way of protection—a good
watch dog. Also one that will be useful to help with stock when necessary to
do so. We had a fiirc Newfoundland in
all respects, only he would not help in
that much needed work at times. Before him Ave had one tint was as good
and careful to help in that way, as a nice
careful toy could be in helping to put
the stock to their places and stalls. Now,
if any rf ader of the di-ar old Farmer will
advertise in it, or send me word in some
way,  I  will be ever so grateful  to hear
from him, as I want just such a dog or
pup,as number two was. From a dear
lover of a good dug. Please let me hear
soon. Mrs. Cal.  Schlegelmilch.
Boyal Centre.
—We sympathize with our correspondent. A good watch dog is a valuablo
piece of property on any ftirm. We
have all seen such dogs aud admired
them, but they are not easy to find. We
believe Uiat it would pay well to breed
such dugs, to sell to the farmers. We
do not refer to Newfoundlands, nor bull
dogs, but to something like Uie Collie
or Scotch Shepherd breed. Perhaps a
cross wtiu some other breed would be
sUU better. But some such dog ought
to bo bred in large numbers, nnd Uiey
would pay. We refer Mrs. S. to tho
advertisements of three reliable Collie
breeders, in the Farmer, last week.
COBN GBOWEBS MEET JAN. 3D.
Edltora Indiana Parmer
I notice in your last issue of the Farmer that there is an error in regard to the
announcement of tho date of the nnnual
meeting of the Corn Growers' Association. The date of the meeting is Wednesday, January 3d instead of the Oth,
a8 you have it. Probably it is my
mistake, so I would be glad to have the
correction made. A. G. Mace.
A NEEDED BEFOBM IN OUB HIGH
SCHOOLS.
By  A.  Ross Hill,  Dean of the Missouri
Teachers'  College.
Too often, I fear, the farmer boy who
is fortunate enough to get into a high
school, is likely to find that Uie subjects
taught have little relation to his interests
and needs, unless he has decided to abandon the farm and prepare himself! for
some profession like law of medicine. In
fact, four years spent in a high school
as courses are usually arranged may wean
the boy away from the farm, even if at
the outset he entered simply with the
view of increasing his intelligence and
preparing himself in a general way for
any. sort of life work. This defect in
present courses of study in the high
schools ean best be remedied by the introduction of courses in agriculture, horticulture, ami manual training, and by
making them solid courses in the hands
nf a teacher, who, in addiUon to good
general scholarship, possesses a sound
knowledge of the science of agriculture,
or is himself proficient in the use of tools.
Such courses could include the study of
soils, of plant growth, horticulture, climatology ami like subjects.
Archbishop John J. Glennon, head of
the Catholic archdiocese of St Louis,
who has been abroad for two months has
returned, bringing with him plans for the
erection of a ?1,000,000 cathedral. He
visited architects in- Paris and Berlin for
the purpose, and s#tates that the proposed
St. Louis cathedral will be one of the
most imposing in the country.
The most remarkable agricultural
movement of our times is said to be that
"the world is eating up the sheep." In
Germany the llockn have decreased over
G per cent since 1873, and this is only an
extreme instance of what is going on elsewhere. The in-creasing price of beef is
given as one reason of the eating up of
the sheep, tlie dread of tuberculosis is another.