632 Circular No. 7. 



Different commercial fertilizers with and without lime, and manure and 

 green-manure from cowpeas with and without lime, were used. As an 

 average of all tests it was found that barnyard manure and cowpea 

 vines with lime were tied for first rank. Lime generally increased the 

 efficiency of complete commercial fertilizers ; and lime alone ranked 

 next to nitrate when single elements were used. This is a most inter- 

 esting indication not only of the importance of lime but of the desir- 

 ability of the combination of lime with organic matter. 



PRACTICAL QUESTIONS OF SUPPLY. 



Assuming the need of lime and the decision to use it, there are 

 many practical questions confronting the farmer. First, his call for 

 lime for the soil has not generally merited much special consideration 

 from the manufacturer or the dealer. Consequently prices are often 

 not satisfactory. Lime for the soil must be relatively cheap, — not a 

 cheap form of lime, however. We find a wide divergence from a can- 

 vass of prices of a large number of manufacturers in New York and 

 Pennsylvania. Without analysis, freight rates and information con- 

 cerning the form to use and its availability in the soil, the farmer is 

 certainly at sea. If he has this information, whether to purchase lump, 

 hyd rated or ground lump lime, or ground limestone or marl, is still a 

 question. Caustic lime is very disagreeable and inconvenient to handle. 

 It is troublesome to slake. The hydrated lime does not feed readily 

 in the fertilizer drill, and the fertilizer drill has too limited a capacity 

 and too slow a feed. Lime distributors are not generally available. 

 So that the use of lime is not a simple problem at the start. 



There is a basis upon which the farmer and the lime producer or 

 dealer may come together to their mutual advantage. We should 

 strive to attain that status. From the farmer's point of view the fol- 

 lowing considerations are of vital importance in his use of lime in soil 

 improvement : 



(i.) Data as to forms of lime handled, composition, type of 

 packages, and price. 



(2.) Supplies of lime in different forms at relatively convenient 

 distributing points. 



(3.) The larger availability of ground burned lime and ground 

 lime rock. Ground burned lime is especially desirable, when 

 in a granular condition and put up in bags. The granular 

 texture makes it easy to distribute. It does not require 



