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LIBiESTONE SURVEY 



By 



JOHN R, SFENCEB, Director 



Soil Improvement Department 



A six weeks' survey of agricultural 

 limestone sources in and about Illinois, 

 discloses that there is in storage at the 

 major quarries, approximately 500,000 

 tons of agricultural limestone ready for 

 farmers orders. If the "Limestone Chats" 

 of the Bonne Terre, Missouri district is 

 included, the total would be boosted by 

 several million tons. 



This does not mean that all farmers 

 who want limestone this fall will get it. 

 Some sections of the State have only 

 meager supplies. In other sections where 

 railroad transportation is necessary, the 

 cost of limestone plus freight, makes a 

 rather high investment without consider- 

 ing the hauling and spreading exp)ense. 



For example. Farm Adviser R. H. Roll 

 in Gallatin County said early in August 

 that he had more than 1500 tons listed 

 and it appeared that local quarries would 

 be unable to meet the demand. Shipped 

 in limestone would run the cost con- 

 siderably higher. 



H. C. Neville of Saline County said 

 that they were experiencing difficulty in 

 getting orders filled. Farm Adviser 

 Secor of Randolph County made a similar 

 complaint. 



The months of August and Septem- 

 ber normally are heavy usage months in 

 Illinois for limestone. Many apply it on 

 the prepared ground previous to seeding 

 wheat. 



A survey of the sources of limestone in 



Illinois reveals that 17 or 18 Northern 

 Illinois counties are well supplied either 

 from commercial or from local crushers 

 within the county. The Eastern Illinois 

 boundary counties are supplied from the 

 Chicago, Kankakee and Livingston coun- 

 ties and from adjacent Indiana quarries. 

 A few of the Southern Illinois counties 

 have from 1 to 2 local or commercial 

 quarries operating within their bound- 

 aries. Clark and Coles Counties also 

 have several local quarries. Southwestern 

 Illinois counties are supplied locally or 

 from several adjacent Missouri plants. 

 Then the West Central Illinois counties 

 have a large number of commercial and 

 local quarries operating along the Mis- 

 sissippi River. This leaves a vast area of 

 some 50 counties in Central and Southern 

 Illinois that do not have local sources of 

 limestone. They are dependent upon 

 long distance hauls by rail or truck. 



Several new sources of Agricultural 

 limestone are available this season in 

 localities not formerly served. The larg- 

 est limestone using counties seem to be 

 those where the supply is generous, close 

 at hand and the cost reasonable. 



Illinois farmers are to be congratulated 

 on the use of approximately 1,250,000 

 tons of limestone in 1936, and it is 

 freely predicted that the State will use in 

 1937, about 1,500,000 tons. The survey 

 of limestone sources now being com- 

 pleted, will furnish County Farm Bureaus 



with reports giving the calcium carbonate 

 equivalent and the screen fineness of 

 available material. This will be of con- 

 siderable value in making recommenda- 

 tions and will also safeguard farmers 

 in getting a quality product. The tests 

 are being made under the direction of 

 Dr. E. E. DeTurk of the Agronomy De- 

 partment, Illinois College of Agriculture. 



C. M. Linsley, Soils Extension De- 

 partment, University of Illinois, says 

 "Limestone is the key to any successful 

 soil building program for the acid soils 

 of Illinois." 



Limestone Quarry near Shetlerville, 

 Hardin County. This is a local quarry 

 that is assuming commercial proportions 

 in its output. 



Producers Top Cattie Market 



The Chicago Producers Commission 

 Assn. has been consistently topping 

 the cattle market during recent weeks. 

 On Sept. 9, the company sold the top 

 cattle at $18.60 per cwt., for Geo. 

 Gross, big cattle feeder of Walnut, 

 Iowa. The same day, John E. Frazer, 

 of Adams county. 111., had 35 head 

 weighing 1270 lb. average, a gate cut 

 from 136 head, which brought $18.40. 

 The Frazer cattle are Texas White 

 Faces purchased the first of March. 

 They were put in the dry lot and fed 

 silage until early in June when they 

 were fed a mixed mill feed fattening 

 ration supplemented with self-fed bar- 

 rel molasses. The 131 head got 30 

 sacks of the feed a day and all the timo- 

 thy they could eat. The last 40 days 

 they were also fed around 25 bu. of 

 whole oats a day. 



GETTING READY TO SPREAD LIMESTONE 

 on Chas. W. Hansen ionn, Cordova Twp., Rock Island county, 

 using attachment on manure spreader. In foreground (left to 

 right) ore Halsey Miles, Cordova Ag teacher, G. L. Eoerper oi 

 U. S. Gypsum Co., ond Mr. Hansen. 



SPREADING LIMESTONE FROM TRUCK 

 on loe Mack farm, Edgington Twp., Rock Island 

 county. Hauling direct from quarry to farm and 

 spreading this way saves labor and gets the job 

 done quickly. This method is growing in popular- 

 ity. 



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I A. A. RECORD 



