asked the Minister for Agriculture if, for the purpose of correcting soil acidity, he will state the relative value of sugar factory lime as compared with standard quality freshly burned lime.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Lime Value.
As both freshly burned lime and sugar factory lime vary in composition as regards calcium oxide content and as no definite standard has been fixed for either of these materials it is not possible to make a reliable comparison of their relative value.
Is the Minister aware that officers of his Department advise that four tons of factory lime equal one ton of burned lime? Would the Minister not agree that that is a reasonable comparison?
I am not so aware, but I would be prepared to entertain the proposition that from three to four tons of the average product of the sugar factories are roughly the equivalent of one ton of the average product of the lime kilns of the country taken in globo.
Is the Minister aware that he stated some time ago that supplying factory lime at 12/- a ton amounted practically to giving it away? We now have the fact that each ton is only equal to four or five cwts.
The Deputy has, I think, overlooked a significant part of my observation. I said that factory lime, delivered on the farm of a farmer resident 15 miles from the nearest sugar factory and spread upon his land at that price, represented excellent value.
Might I ask the Minister if he is aware that the farmer could get better value, burned lime supplied to the farm?
It is a free country and he is free to do so, thanks be to God.
Is the Minister aware that there are separate types of factory lime?
I have sought by the repeated use of the words "average", "in globo”, etc., to emphasise my acute consciousness of that.