Advantages of Spreading Liming Programme throughout the Year

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 75, Issue 1, 15 July 1947, Page 88

Advantages of Spreading Liming Programme throughout the Year

By

R. THAINE,

Assistant Fields Instructor, Wellington.

OBTAINING lime in the right quantities at the right times is a frequent cause of worry to many a farmer. Often lime is available when paddocks are too wet for it to be spread or when transport is unprocurable. Such hold-ups in liming ' may have serious effects on the success of the general farming practice, and there is much to be said for the programme being spread throughout the year as far as possible.

UNLIKE . - most fertilisers and manures, lime is not quick acting, and the benefit from an application is spread over many months or even years.. Well-ground limestone consists of particles varying in size from small, gritty pieces to dust. The larger particles may persist in the soil for longer than a year, but the smaller are dissolved more , readily . in the soil moisture. This period of . benefit depends- on several factors: The fineness of grinding, the nature of the deposit from which the lime is derived, and soil and weather conditions. The advantages presented by « those characteristics of lime are not put to the use they could he. As. the action and benefit of lime are spread over months, a set time S' of the year for application is not necessary. Equal benefit will result if lime is sown in autumn, winter, spring, or summer. Avoiding Peak Demand The wise farmer will arrange his liming programme to avoid peak periods in the demand for the material. Autumn . and ' early winter are invariably the busiest times for the . limeworks, but their output is no greater then , than at any other time of the year, so farmers requiring lime then are often delayed. Why - should ..the liming . programme - not be spread' throughout the year as much as possible? At harvest there is time for little else but : bringing- in the ..crops, but it is worth an -xtra effort to have

lime put on a low-lying paddock during the dry months rather than run the risk of it' being missed because the ground is too wet in autumn or winter. These paddocks which are “too wet to get on to” frequently are in great need of lime. Another advantage ' gained from distributing the application of - lime is that the expense incurred is not payable in a lump sum. That factor may seem minor, but it is. of considerable importance to farmers , who are. not securely established. (