, ,. ..xERARY- Cop. 2. Li "^ CONNECTICUT m o /] ?-S AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION NEW HAVEN, CONN. BULLETIN 175, FEBRUARY, 1913. THE COST OF AGRICULTURAL LIME IN CONNECTICUT. By E. H. Jenkins and J. P. Street. The Bulletins of this Station are mailed free to citizens of Connecticut who apply for them, and to others as far as the editions permit. COfflECTICUT AfiEICDLTURAL EXPEMENT STATION. OiFIFIOElSS -A.ISriD ST-A.^"JP. BOARD OF CONTROL. His Excellency, Simeon E, Baldwin, ex officio, President. Prof. H. W. Conn, Vice President Middletown George A. Hopson, Secretary Wallingford E. H. Jenkins, Director and Treasurer New Haven Joseph W. Alsop. Avon Wilson H. Lee Orange Frank H. Stadtmueller Elmwood James H. Webb. Hamden STATION STAFF. Administration. E. H. Jenkins, Ph.D., Director and Treasurer . Miss V. E. Cole, Librarian ajtd Stenographer. Miss L. M. Brautlkcht, Bookkeeper and Stenographer- . AVii.LlAM Veitch, In Charge of B-nildings and Grotinds. Chemistry. Analytical Laboratory. John Phillips Street, M.S., Chejnisi in Charge. E. Monroe Bailey, Ph.D., C. B. Morison, B.S., C E. Shepard, Assistants. Hugo Lange, Laboratory Helper. V. L. Churchill, Sampling Agent. Miss E. B. Whittlesey, Stenographer. Proteid Research. T. B. Osborne, Ph.D., Chemist in Charge. Miss E. L. Ferry, A.B., Assistant. Botany. G. P. Clinton, S.D., Botanist. E. M. Stoddard, B.S., Assistant. Miss M. H. Jagger, Seed Analyst. Miss E. B. Whittlesey, Herbaritim Assista^it. Entomology. W. E. Britton, Ph.D., Entomologist: also State Entotnologist. B. H. Walden, B.Agr., D. J. Caffrey, B.S., H. B. Kirk, Assistants. Miss F. M. Valentine, Stenographer. Forestry. Walter O. Filley, Forester; also State Forester and State Forest Fire Warden. A. E. Moss, M.F., Assistant Station Forester. Miss E. L. Avery, Stenographer. Plant Breeding. H. K. Hayes, B.S., Plant Breeder. C. D. HuBBELL, Assistant. The Cost of Agricultural Lime in Connecticut. By E. H. Jenkins and J. P. Street. The object of this bulletin is to answer the questions which are constantly asked us during the late winter and spring about the quality and price of agricultural lime and where to get it. In the latter part of December our sampling agent visited the kilns of western Connecticut and carefully took samples of the lime which was in stock and ready to ship for agricultural use. These samples were analyzed by C. B. Morison of this station. The names of the firms offering it and the analyses and prices are given below. Ground Limestone. 1662. (ten mesh) Stearns Lime Co., Danbury. 1660. (forty mesh) " " " " Quick Lime, Granulated. 1659. New England Lime Co., Danbury. (Made at Adams, Mass.) Hydeated Lime, Water-Slaked, Special Process. 1657. New England Lime Co., Danbury, New Milford kiln. i665 1667 1663 1661 1669 1670 Air-Slaked Lime, Canaan kiln ; New England Lime Co., Danbury. East Canaan kiln ; " " '' " " Redding kiln; " " '" " " (second grade*) Stearns Lime Co., " Connecticut Lime Co., East Canaan. Sold by Olds & Whipple, Hartford. (From Cheshire Lime Co., . Farnams, Mass.) * The first grade was not in stock. 4 CONNECTICUT AGRICULTURAL STATION BULLETIN NO. 1/5 Analyses of Limestone and Lime. Ground Quick Limestone Lime Slaked Lime Station No 1662 1660 1659 1657 1666 1667 1663 1661 1669 1670 Lime 45-56 46.38 90.66 45.64 42.70 42.66 50.00 68.94 49.32 65.12 Magnesia 2.18 3.26 0.96 30.40 29.02 28.56 33.66 2.80 33.02 0.72 Insoluble in acid 1.77 1.15 1.51 3.32 1.35 20.16 0.58 1.27 Cost per ton*, in bulk $2.00 $2.75 $6.50 $4.50 $4.50 $4.50 $4.50 $4.00 $4.50 $6.oof in paper bags. . . 2.60 3.35 4.60 in burlap bags . . 3.25 4.00 8.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 5.25 6.00 7.5of Cost in cents per 100 lbs. lime-mag- nesia delivered at New Haven, in bulk 31-4 37-8 38.8 41.1 41.4 35-3 37-6 35-8 45-5 in paper bags .. . 37.7 43.8 41.8 in burlap bags . . 44.5 50.4 48.7 51.6 52.0 44.2 46.3 44.9 57.0 The fineness of the grades of ground limestone is shown by the results of the siftings, as follows : 1662 "ten mesh" 1660 "forty mesh" Finer than loo mesh zi per cent. 46 per cent. Between 100 and 80 mesh i 4 80 " 50 " 5 13 50 " 30 " 8 17 " 30 " 20 " 19 12 Coarser than 20 mesh 30 8 In our opinion the "forty mesh" lime is a more desirable purchase, though the lime-magnesia costs about six cents more per one hundred pounds than the coarser lime. These two analyses of ground limestone from the Steams Lime Company represent the rock on which they are now working near the surface. The company states that it has even purer lime- stone uncovered and will maintain a percentage of 87 per cent, combined carbonate, or its equivalent, which is 48.7 per cent, of lime. This would reduce by two or three cents per 100 pounds the cost of lime-magnesia in their product, as given in the table above. * f . o. b. at kiln. t Delivered. LIME 5 The fineness of lime is not a matter of indifference. To neu- tralize any undue acidity of the soil is our first object and in many cases in this State the main object. Neither ground lime- stone nor slaked lime are freely soluble in the soil water. They are only gradually dissolved, and the rate of solubility, other conditions being equal, depends on the amount of surface of the particles exposed to the action of the solvents. Roughly speaking, under like conditions, lime in particles i/ioo of an inch in diameter offers twice the surface to solvents as the same weight of lime in particles 1/50 of an inch in diam- eter and, other things being equal, is twice as quickly soluble. The Stearns Lime Company sells a calcite lime, that is, one in which the amount of magnesia is relatively quite small, but most of the Connecticut lime is a magnesian or dolomitic lime containing, roughly stated, about three pounds of magnesia to four of lime. While heavy doses of caustic magnesia have proved injurious in some cases, in other cases magnesian lime- stones have been preferred to pure limestones for farm uses. In the present state of our knowledge and at the usual rate of liming we are justified in valuing Hme and magnesia together and regarding the magnesian lime and calcite lime as equally valuable on the land, though if liming is repeated several times we recommend the use occasionally of calcite lime by itself, since lime is more extensively taken from the soil by the crops and by drainage than magnesia. The special freight rate on ground limestone in car-lots from Danbury is $1.00 per ton to points west of the Connecticut River and $1.25 to more eastern points. The rates from Danbury, as well as from other places in the State, on burned lime are dif- ferent for the several delivery points. It is $1.40 per ton to New Haven, and for purpose of comparison we have calculated all costs delivered at this point. The prices given in the table represent regular market quota- tions. Special terms in cases of large purchases, etc., may be slightly lower. Lime-Kiln Ashes. These are mixtures of the ashes of wood used in roasting lime- stone with large amounts of fine lime which fall into the furnace from the roasting lime above. They therefore contain small 6 CONNECTICUT AGRICULTURAL STATION BULLETIN NO. 1 75 amounts of phosphoric acid and potash, as appears in the follow- ing analyses : 1665. New England Lime Co., Canaan kiln; not under cover. 1668. " " " " East Canaan kiln; not under cover. 1658. " " " " New Milford kiln; under cover. 1664. " " " " Redding kiln. Analysis of Lime-Kiln Ashes. Station No 1665 1668 1658 1664 Lime 30.04 36.84 44.46 42.90 Magnesia 902 14.68 19.54 9-38 Insoluble in acid 2.82 4.15 1.30 2.44 Moisture 21.66 10.81 Phosphoric acid 0.99 i.ii 1.31 1.99 Potash 4.22 1.09 2.00 6.60 Cost per ton, in bulk $4.50 4.50 8.00 8.00 in bags 6.00 6.00 9.00 9.00 Cost in cents per 100 lbs. of lime- magnesia in car-lot's at New Haven* in bulk 19.5 39.5 52.0 21.0 " bags 38.6 54.1 59.8 30.6 The analyses show the large range in the composition of lime- kiln ashes. The smaller relative amount of magnesia in 1664 and the very high per cent, of potash indicate only a small admix- ture of lime with wood ashes. This abnormal composition makes it doubtful whether it represents the general run of the ashes. The average amounts of phosphoric acid and potash in thir- teen samples of lime-kiln ashes analyzed here in the last few years have been 2.07 per cent, of potash and 1.12 per cent, of phosphoric acid. Attention is called to The Grangers' Lime & Marble Company, of Danbury, which expects about the first of April to put ground limestone on the car in bulk for $1.50 per ton at their Massachu- setts works, now under construction. Ground Oyster Shell Lime. If as finely ground as limestone this material should be equally valuable for liming soils. It is a by-product in making shells for poultry and in the manufacture of plastering material. * Allowing 4 cents per pound for phosphoric acid and 4% cents per pound for potash. LIME 7 A sample from a heap of this by-product, lying out of doors, had the following composition : Water 11.76 *Carbonate of Lime 73-46 Insoluble in acid 10.78 Other matters, by difference 4.00 100.00 Finer than 100 mesh 2 per cent. Between 100 and 80 mesh 11 " 80 " 50 " 14 50 " 30 " 25 " 30 " 20 " 17 Coarser than 20 mesh 31 100 This is too coarse for profitable use. It could, however, be easily ground to proper fineness. The analyses given in this bulletin, made on samples taken with great care, represent quite fairly the average composition, but single car-loads may be expected to show some variations. A sample of a car-lot needs to be drawn from all parts of the car while unloading, these samples should be very thoroughly mixed together and a sample of at least a pint of the mixture taken for analysis. The Station before undertaking an analysis must be assured that the sample has been properly drawn, otherwise injustice is likely to be done to buyer or seller. Small samples of lime in various forms are often sent to the Station by prospective purchasers which have been forwarded to them by mail from the manufacturers. These as a rule cannot be analyzed. They have every chance to dry out in transit and while they may fairly show the fineness of the product, they otherwise con- vey no further information than the manufacturer's statement or guaranty. So much has been said and written regarding the use of lime that anything further is unnecessary in this bulletin, which aims only to inform buyers where they can buy in this State, what they can get and in a general way what they must pay. * Actual lime 41.14. 8 CONNECTICUT AGRICULTURAL STATION BULLETIN NO. 1/5 We urg-e those who are liming their land to leave a strip unlimed, in order to show whether the liming has a striking effect, and to wait about final judgment for two or three seasons. The beneficial effects, while positive, may not be immediately seen. We also suggest that less attention be paid to the statement that lime destroys the soil humus, and vastly more attention be given to the need of constantly putting vegetable matter, from which humus is made, into the soil in cover crops and green manures. A good supply of humus in the soil, its constant destruction by an active microbe life, and its constant replace- ment by vegetable matter are necessary to increased crop pro- duction. Modem research indicates that, to a very large extent, fertilizers, manures, green crops and tillage increase production above ground by quickening the microbe life within it. University of Connecticut Libraries 39153029221225