Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1918 — LIMESTONE AIDS IN CROP PRODUCTION [ARTICLE]

LIMESTONE AIDS IN CROP PRODUCTION

“Use of ground limestone may be safely recommended as an {immediate means of increasing crop yields in many sections of Indiana” said J. C. Beavers of the agricultural extension department of Purdue University. “This is especially true for the principal part of the southern third of the state and for most of the sandy soils of the northern third. The application of two or three tons of ground limestone to the acre on the more acid soils of these sections will increase the yield of the first two crops more than enough to pay the total cost of the application- .. “On the light-gray silt soil of southeastern Indiana near North Vernon, the application of ground limestone increased the average yield per acre of the first three wheat crops 9.5 bushels; corn 2.8 bushels; and clover hay, 1590 pounds,” he said. “On the yellow silt loam soil of the coal region at Worthington, limestone increased the average yield per acre of the first three crops of corn, 8.6 bushels; wheat, 3.4 bushels; clover, 2830 pounds. The average net profit per rotation for five years has been $20.36 at North Vernon and $19.25 at Worthington. On both fields the use of limestone has been very profitable and equally good results can be procured on threefourths of the farms in these sections.” In northern counties, limestone is giving equally good results when applied to the acid sandy soils. This has been demonstrated on many farms. “On soils too acid to grow good clover, the farmers may expect an increase of 4 to 10 bushels of wheat, 3 to 8 bushels of corn and 800 to 2000 pounds of clover hay to the acre from the use of 2 to 3 tons of limestone to the acre for the first two years. After that the increased yields are generally larger,” said Mr. Beavers;