ItlO. 
ARGUMENTS FOR GROUND LIMESTONE. 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
1201 
Part I. 
On page 962 correspondents replying to 
your query—“Why Burn Lime?” do not 
analyze the subject sufficiently to give 
the full understanding that its impor¬ 
tance demands. It is not generally 
known that in action on nitrogen, the 
burnt and the carbonate of lime are 
complete opposites—the one wastes by 
dissipating, the other actually prevents 
wastage that would otherwise occur. The 
proof of this is in the fact that lime¬ 
stone soils permanently maintain fer¬ 
tility. Circular 110 of the Illinois Agri¬ 
cultural Experiment Station, which 
every farmer should read, analyzing tests 
at the Pennsylvania Station as well as 
at their own, says: “It has been proven 
in a 16-year test on a rotation of crops 
that there was a loss of organic matter 
from the soil equivalent to 4J^ tons of 
manure for every ton of burnt lime used, 
while the carbonate both avoided this 
loss and produced a greater aggregate 
of crops.” Bulletin 110 of the Maryland 
Station, reporting their tests witlf all 
forms of lime, burnt limestone, burnt 
oyster shells (non-magnesian), sulphate, 
phosphate and carbonate (as marl) of 
lime, states that the latter gave the best 
crop production and advises farmers to 
use all that they can get of it. Director 
Thorne, of the Ohio Station, says in 
their lime bulletin, “Burnt lime liberates 
potash in the soil to the extent of wast¬ 
ing until recarbonating checks the wast¬ 
age. In other words the carbonate will 
make potash more available, about as the 
plants use it, without wastage.” Soil 
nitrification is the important thing in 
fertility, burnt lime is detrimental to 
this, while as Plilgard shows in “Soils” 
the carbonate is highly favorable. The 
Bureau of Soils, U. S. Department of 
Agriculture, has a bulletin on “Experi¬ 
ments with an Infertile Soil”—caused as 
they state, apparently by the poisonous 
effect of continuously raising one par¬ 
ticular crop, not acidity; as burnt lime 
and commercial fertilizer were both 
proven to be useless, while carbonate of 
lime remedied the condition and pro¬ 
duced crops. The New Jersey Station 
lime bulletin gives analyses of many 
limes on the market, showing the fre¬ 
quency of magnesia in them, often to 
high percentage. Bulletin No. 100 , Bu¬ 
reau of Plant Industry, U. S. Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture, “Relations of Mag¬ 
nesia to Lime in Plant Growth,” and 
also 1904 Year Book of that department, 
shows the detrimental effect of excess of 
magnesia on many plants. Additionally 
magnesian limes are not so readily solu¬ 
ble ; it is only the purer limestones that 
dissolve freely enough to produce the 
large deposits of “fresh water shell” 
marl; consequently this never contains 
more than one or two per cent of mag¬ 
nesia, which is desirable in that pro¬ 
portion. This marl is nearly all a pre¬ 
cipitate, the only shells being a few of 
the small snail kind, and is therefore an 
impalpable powder, which mostly will 
pass 200 mesh. In addition to the mag¬ 
nesia, a frequent fault with ground 
limestone is the failure to grind it suffi¬ 
ciently fine; it ought mostly to pass 
through a 100 -mesh screen. 
The getting of a money advantage by 
recarbonating of burnt lime, so as to get 
the 44 per cent difference without cost 
from the air, is a fallacy. Burnt lime 
does not recarbonate readily, especially 
in Winter; carbonic acid in the air is 
only about three parts to 10,000 of air. 
If in heaps the carbonic acid does not 
reach the interior freely, if spread out 
over or in the soil it is to the loss of 
organic matter exceeding in value the 
gain of- 44 per cent of lime. As to re¬ 
carbonating in the soil, the National 
Lime Manufacturers’ Association wished 
to know where they were at on this 
question, so appointed an investigating 
committee. They consulted the direc¬ 
tors of the experiment stations where 
many lime tests had been made, and 
otherwise investigated, and then report¬ 
ed that generally burnt lime does not 
become fully recarbonated in the soil for 
two or three years. This is apparently 
borne out by Prof. Wheeler’s statements 
regarding his noted Rhode Island Sta¬ 
tion lime tests, which showed such re¬ 
markable crop improvements on many 
plants; that in these tests in numerous 
cases where no benefits were obtained or 
even actual injuries resulted, after two 
or three years decided benefits were 
shown. FRANKLIN NOBLE. 
(To be continued ) 
OUR WONDERFUL POSTAGE SYSTEM. 
The following is taken from a Syracuse, 
N. Y., paper. Solvay is really a part of 
Syracuse. 
At the Stamp Window. 
CAST. 
A stamp clerk. 
A citizen who is not conversant with 
the postal laws. 
THE CITIZEN—“A package for Solvay. 
It weighs a pound. IIow much ?” 
THE CLERK—“Sixteen cents.” 
“Whew, so much. I guess I’d better not 
send this other one. It’s the same thing 
going to a friend of mine in London. How 
much would that be?—weighs a pound.” 
“Twelve cents.” 
“How’s that?” 
“Twelve cents.” 
“You’re mixed, aren’t you, 16 cents to 
Solvay and 12 cents to London, is that 
right?” 
“Right you are.” 
“Can't quite figure it out as a business 
proposition why the U. S. can afford to 
send to England for 12 cents what it 
charges 16 cents to carry to Solvay, but 
I'll take your word for it. Here are two 
more packages; each one weighs five 
pounds. IIow much for one of them to 
Tokio, Japan?” 
“Twelve cents a pound, 60 cents in all.” 
“Sure no one would kick on that—3,000 
miles across America to San Francisco and 
then across the Pacific ocean for 60 cents. 
Great thing this U. S. postal service. Now 
here’s the same thing for Auburn, a five- 
pound package. How much?” 
“Can’t take it.” 
“Can’t take it?” 
“Limit on packages for transmission by 
mail four pounds. You'll have to send it 
by express.” 
“But you just took a five-pound package 
to go to San Francisco and thence to Japan, 
and you won't take one to Auburn at any 
price ?” 
“That’s right.” 
“Why?” 
“Postal regulations.” 
“By Jove, but Uncle Sam is a corking 
business man, isn't he?” 
FOREIGN PLANTS OF INTEREST. 
Among novelties recorded in a recent 
plant introduction bulletin issued by the 
Department of Agriculture is Alfalfa seed 
from Christiania, Norway, “variety Mal- 
thei. This is a new variety which has 
not yet been described, and which is larger 
and much hardier than the main variety. 
Medicago sativa is used very little in Nor¬ 
way for its economic importance, as it is 
not very hardy. A dealer in dyestuff’s, O. 
Malthe, was very much interested in this 
question, and has experimented and finally 
succeeded in discovering this variety, and 
endeavored to disseminate it. The farmers, 
however, did not want to cultivate lucerne, 
because they find Trifolium pratense and 
Fhleum pratense more profitable.” I wish to 
call your attention to the fact that the 
seed of M. sativa, var. Malthei may pos¬ 
sibly represent crosses with the closely re¬ 
lated main variety, however, only to a 
limited extent. If you plant all the seeds, 
you will very likely obtain some plants of 
the pure variety.” Another variety of Al¬ 
falfa comes from Ti-tao, Kansu Province, 
West China. 
Stizolobium aterrimum, the Mauritium 
or Bengal bean, has been received by the 
Department from New South Wales. “This 
species is considerably cultivated in the 
Island of Mauritius, Brazil, New Zealand 
and Australia. It much resembles the 
Florida Velvet bean, but the vines grow 
larger and the seeds mature considerably 
later. This variety is so late, in fact, that 
it matures in this country only in the 
southern half of Florida.” For distribution 
later. 
Some interesting wild potatoes were re¬ 
ceived from Tucson, Ariz. “October 5, 1910, 
Santa Catalina Mountains, steep northeast 
slope at 7,800 feet, under white and Doug¬ 
las fir, in excellent humus loam. Vines 
fresh, succulent, and fruiting. Slope burned 
clean in June. Tubers probably slightly im¬ 
mature. October 17, 1910, Rincon Moun¬ 
tains, at Spud Ranch, camp site. Since 
potatoes were once cultivated here, these 
purplish tubers may be escaped from cul¬ 
tivation.” For distribution later. 
A foreign correspondent of the Depart¬ 
ment says that the prickly pear in Aus¬ 
tralia has become such a nuisance that 
enormous sums are paid to get rid of it. 
Land is practically given away to per¬ 
sons who will undertake to clear it of 
prickly pear. Mr. Jones suggests that in¬ 
stead of spending money in the useless task 
of attempting to eradicate it, the Aus¬ 
tralians should make it of use and make a 
profit out of it. He has considered the 
question of manufacturing paper from it. 
but the outlook is not encouraging. It has 
too much juice and not enough fibre. He 
thinks alcohol could be made from it. ffs 
it contains about five per cent reducing 
sugar. At all events he says a fortune 
awaits the man who can fiud a use for it. 
You Should Have 
Our Prices 
So you can buy your Galvanized Steel 
Roofing at wholesale and save the job¬ 
ber’s and retailer’s profits. 
Wc make thousands of tons of Roofing 
a year and sell direct to the user. All of 
our Roofing is brand new, standard qual¬ 
ity and is sold with a guarantee that if it 
is not satisfactory in every way it will not 
cost you a cent. 
Send us a postal asking for a free sam¬ 
ple of our^Jalvanizcd 
Steel Roofing 
and wc will send it to you together with 
our booklet which shows the different 
styles we make. 
We Pay the Freight charges, and the 
letter you will receive with our sample 
will tell you what your Roofing will cost 
delivered to your nearest railroad station. 
Don’t fail to write before you buy, be¬ 
cause at our prices you can save money. 
The Ohio Galvanizing & Mfg. Co. 
NILES, OHIO 
S AW your own 
wood 
and save 
time, coal and 
money; or saw 
your neighbors 
wood and 
MAKE 
$5 TO SI5 
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Hundreds are doing it with an Appleton Wood Saw, 
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PORTABLE WOOD SAWING RIG 
that is unequalled in effective work and profitable 
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Catalogue. 
Appleton Mfg. Co. » 2 ’, 
SAWS II 
1 Man IS..*, ■ESS::! Beats 
ANY WOOD 
IN ANY POSITION 
ON ANY CROUN0 
_ l In to 6 ft. Through 
_Roafe O MEN w,th a 
Sowing Maehino Bodla £ Cross-cutSaw 
3 to * cords dally Is Iho usual avorago for ono man. 
BU38 IAST _ _ _ __ a. BAWS DOWN 
TOWS 
I weigh* 
font/4i(fM go 
S3 
Our 1911 Model Machine saws faster, runs easier and will 
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year-old boy oi strongest man. Ask for catalog No AltO 
and low price. First order gets agency 
{folding Sawing Mach. Co., 158 E. Harrison SL, Chicago, I1L 
ALPHA 
PORTLAND CEMENT 
is absolutely the best that can be made 
for all farm work. Largely used by 
U. S. Government and in State, Munici¬ 
pal and Railroad work—a reputation of 
20 years behind 4 . Ask your dealer for 
ALPHA 
Send for Booklet and learn why it is the best. 
ALPHA PORTLAND CEMENT CO., 
ADDRESS 
2 Center Square, EASTON, PA. 
NO ROOF repair: 
<?< >> 2 "/T" 
/ ' / 
TThe 
only 
roofing 1 
„ that n« vlt 
wears out is— 
^ Slate. Does not 
rust or water-souk. 
r ...11 not melt — not af 
w fected by the weather or 
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SEA GREEN AND PURPLE ROOFING 
„ SLATE, the only material without an 
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grado roofing. 6end today for our free book 
w “The Eoof Question," and tell us your w^nts. 
^FjC^heldoi^late^o^iRANv?Mj^VjVj 
A WONDERFUL FARM TOOL 
CLARK’S 
a crop maker. 
DOUBLE ACTION CULTI¬ 
VATOR AND HAR¬ 
ROW. The most won¬ 
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in one. Throws the dirs 
out, then in, leaving the 
land level and true. A 
labor saver, a time savert 
Perfect centre draft. Jointed pole. 
Beware of imitations and infringements. Send today 
for FREE Booklet, “ Intensive Cultivation.” 
CUTAWAY HARROW CO. 
839 Main St. Higganum Conn. 
I’ll Save You $50 
On a Manure Spreader 
r*if You’ll Let Me 
This is just a little ad—but a postal will bring my Big 
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My Spreader positively will do better work and last longer 
than any Spreader made—no mat¬ 
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more? 40,000 farmers havoj 
stamped their O. K. onf 
my spreader and money*, 
sowing price. My Special 
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Just a postal addressed to Gal¬ 
loway of Waterloo, Iowa, will® 
bring you everything postpaid. 
Will You Pay a Penny For 
The Poatal and Savo 950.OOT 
Address Wm. Calloway, Pres. 
WM. CALLOWAY CO. 
669 Calloway Sta. Waterloo, le. 
Freight 
Paid 
HARVEY BOLSTER SPRIHGS 
Soon save their cost. Make every wagon a spring 
I wagon, therefore fruit, vegetables, eggs, etc., j 
bring more money. Ask for special proposition, i 
l Harvey Spring Co., U(i-17th St., K*ciu©, Wl*. 
GUARANTEED 
CAHOON SEED 
Saves buying expensive drills. Most 
perfect broadcast sower for all grain 
and grass seed. Accurate, simple, 
durable. Made of steel, iron and brass. Lasts a life time. 
Saves time, saves seed and gives bigger crops. 
Highest priced sower made, but pays for itself many times yearly. If 
your dealer cannot supply you, we will deliver the Cahoon to any 
express office east of the Mississippi River on receipt of {4. Send for 
“Seed Sowers’ Blanuul;” tells howto produce bigger crops with 
less seed. It's Free. 
GOODELL CO.. 14 MAIN ST„ Antrim. NEW HAMPSHIRE. 
We have a size to suit your power and requirements. Get one 
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mill will soon pay for it¬ 
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No Belts, Springs or compli¬ 
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The sawer has complete 
control of Variable Fric¬ 
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speed. Other time and labor saving devices enable 
this mill to saw more lumber with less power and 
less help than any other. Free Mill Book explains 
and lists our complete line of wood working machin¬ 
ery. Write for it today. 
AMERICAN SAW MILL MACHINERY CO. 
129 Hope St.. Hackettstown. N. J. 1582 Terminal Bldgs.. New York 
