Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 March 1917 — LIMESTONE FOR ACID SOILS [ARTICLE]

LIMESTONE FOR ACID SOILS

Much of the Rand in Jasper County Needs Treating. The following letter was received yesterday signed “ExFarmer”: “I see much in the agFicultural papers about the use -of ground limestone for fertilizer. Do th« lands of this section need lime? If so, where is it to he had? I know of no surface rock in this section. ,Some crops out in the river at Rensselaer and some near the surface at Pleasant Ridge. Do those rocks contain what the soil requires? Would it not be of great interest to the farmers of this section if you would investigate those subjects and report through the county papers?” Reply: Much and probably most of t)he soil in Jasper county needs lime to correct the acidity which it contains. This is especially true of the sand and muck regions of the county, although numerous tests show that the loams also contain a small amount of acid, requiring from I,oob to 2,000 pounds of ground limestone per acre to render it neutral. The rocks outcropping the surface at numerous points in the county are of a low grade limestone and if properly ground might be used in treating acid soils although it is probably cheaper to ship in a high grade of ground limestone than to crush much of that available in the county. High grades of ground limestone may be secured at Monon, Kankakee, Delphi, Huntington, Bedford and numerous other points in the state at prices ranging from $1.17 to $2 per ton f. o. b. the various stations in this county. STEWART REAMING, '' County Agricultural Agent.