1906.] LIMING SOILS AND PLANTS. 89 



German millet seems to thrive best upon moderately acid soil, 

 and liming to the limit of producing alkalinity or even less, 

 is injurious to it. 



The following five views show the results with rye, oats, 

 wheat, barley, and sorghum. The products obtained by the use 

 of nitrate of soda are arranged in each instance on the left. 

 The absence of a fourth lot of sorghum at the right was due 

 to its total destruction on the most acid soil. The lot at the 

 extreme left and the second one from the right in each case 

 shows the product from the respective limed plats. It will be 

 seen that the rye and oats endure the acid conditions best and 

 that the sorghum is helped most by liming. Barley needs lime 

 more than wheat and the latter more than oats. 



The two lots of tobacco at the left were grown with nitrate 

 of soda, and the two at the right with sulphate of ammonia. 

 The larger lot at the left oi each pair was from the respective 

 limed plat. Liming improved the color of the ash in a most 

 remarkable degree. 



This view shows that amber cane (sorghum) and Kaffir 

 corn refused to grow upon the unlimed plat, manured with 

 sulphate of ammonia, notwithstanding that the seed germinated 

 well. 



This shows the wonderful benefit which resulted to these 

 plants solely from liming. These plants, like the upland cress, 

 onion, cantaloupe, poppy, lettuce, spinach, and beet, are 

 unable to endure a great degree of soil acidity, and the accom- 

 panying lack of carbonate of lime. 



The limits of such a lecture preclude showing all of the 

 results obtained with about 200 different varieties of plants'. 

 Among the beans and also among the annual flowering plants 

 that have been tested, the most remarkable differences have 

 been observed. These results show that the poppy can never 

 become a pernicious weed upon our acid soils, as it has in the 

 wheat fields of the limestone regions of Europe. The castor 

 bean is injured by liming where the golden wax, a string bean, 

 will almost fail for need of liming. The bush lima bean in con- 

 trast to certain of the bush green-podded string beans thrives 

 well upon very acid soil. 



