A DISCUSSION CONCERNING 



THE RATIONAL USE OF LIME ON THE FARM 



CONTAINING A 

 REVIEW OF EXTENSION CIRCULAR, No. 24 



IXTRODUCTORT REMARKS BY THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE 



To the People of North Carolina: 



At my request, tlie Agronomist of the Department of Agriculture, 

 Prof. James L. Burgess, j^repared in 1915 Circular, "Lime Facts for 

 Landowners," and in 1916 Bulletin, jSTo. 220, "Relation of Calcium Car- 

 bonate (Ground Limestone and Marl) in the Soil to Acid Phosphate and 

 the Soil Phosphates," and I approved them for publication. The latter 

 of these publications was distributed as the May Bulletin of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture. 



In September, 1916, the United States Experiment Station at West 

 Raleigh published, with the approval of the Director, Extension Circular, 

 No. 24, "How to Use Lime on the Farm," which controverts many of 

 the leading statements made in the above named publications written 

 by Mr. Burgess under my direction. 



1 deem it expedient, therefore, to publish the following bulletin, as, in 

 part, a reply to Extension Circular, No. 24, in order that the farmers 

 may have an opportunity to weight the arguments on both sides of the 

 question and decide for themselves whose advice is more nearly correct, 

 and more nearly in accord with the farming interests of the State. The 

 bulletin contains a congratulatory letter from Nathaniel P. Pratt, pro- 

 l^rietor of the N. P. Pratt Commercial Chemical Laboratoiy of Atlanta, 

 Ga., the leading laboratory of the kind in the South. Dr. Pratt is, 

 moreover, considered one of the very best authorities on commercial 

 fertilizers in the United States. The bulletin also contains a brief re- 

 view of Extension Circular, No. 24, together with numerous collations 

 of evidence and citations of authorities in support of the position taken 

 by the Commissioner of Agriculture concerning the rational use of lime 

 vj on the farm. The Avhole of this bulletin was prepared by Mr. Burgess, 

 l2 at my request, and carefully reviewed by me before going to press. 



-( Eespectfully, "W. A. Graham, 



"^ . Commissioner of Agriculture. 



