1920.] 



Liming in Herefordshire. 



157 



LIMING IN HEREFORDSHIRE : 



ENCOURAGEMENT OF A LOCAL INDUSTRY. 

 John Porter, B.Sc, N.D.A., N.D.D., 



Organiser of Agricultural Education for Herefordshire. 



For some years there have been indications that the soil of 

 Herefordshire was becoming impoverished by the exhaustion 

 of its hme constituents. The diminution of crop-yielding 

 capacity became increasingly noticeable during the War, 

 and such unsatisfactory returns were obtained that many 

 farmers experienced difficulty in cultivating their land at 

 a profit. Contributing factors to this exhaustion were the 

 using up of hme by the natural development of acidity in the 

 soil, the continued use of sulphate of ammonia and super- 

 phosphate, and the removal of hme from the soil by farm live 

 stock and crops. 



The Herefordshire Agricultural Education Sub-Committee 

 therefore decided to investigate what steps might be taken to 

 improve the situation. On behalf of the Committee the writer 

 visited certain unsatisfactory cropping-land in the county, and 

 found it to be covered with sheep's sorrel, spurrey and other 

 plants which flourish on acid soils. Chemical tests were made, 

 which showed that the soil was very deficient in lime. 



Results of Liming Experiments. — The following experiment 

 gives interesting data as to the value of hme on this sour 

 soil, conducted on mangolds and swedes in order to test the 

 effect of a " complete " mixture of artificial manures, both 

 with and without lime. A field was selected for the purpose, 

 and three plots were marked out and given a medium dressing 

 of farmyard manure. One of the plots received in addition 

 a dressing of artificials and lime, and one plot a dressing of 

 artificials only. The lime was applied in the autumn at the 

 rate of 30 cwt. of carefully slaked lump lime per acre, and the 

 artificial manures were applied in the spring. 



The two plots receiving artificial manures showed considerable 

 improvement over the unlimed plot, but the improvement in 

 the case of the plot receiving lime in adSition to artificials 

 gave much better results. 



The yields per acre of roots at the close of the season were 

 as follows : — 



Mangolds. Swedes. 



Tons. cwt. Tons. cwt. 



No artificials .. .. .. 1219 .. 144 



'* Complete " artificials .. 19 o .. 19 6 



" Complete " artificials and lime 23 17 .. 23 o 



