DAIRY AND SEED IMPROVEMENT MEETINGS. 373 



again that liming should have been the first step after drainage, 

 as no combination of fertilizers or manures has produced a full 

 crop until lime has been added. 



Liming has also been found to be vital to successful agricul- 

 ture in southern Illinois, in certain parts of Pennsylvania, New 

 Jersey, Marjdand, and in many other states of the South and 

 Middle West. 



In Virginia, liming has been found to be of great importance 

 on the soils of the Coastal Plain, the Piedmont Plateau, and on 

 occasional soils of the Appalachian region. The interest in the 

 subject of liming has become so great in Virginia that the rail- 

 roads have made great concessions by way of reduced freight 

 rates. The legislature and the governor have taken an active 

 interest in bringing about the more general introduction and 

 use of ground limestone. 



This matter of liming, as Whitson and Weir of Wisconsin 

 express it, "is not a Twentieth Century fad," for lime was 

 employed on land by the Chinese long before it was used by the 

 early Romans. Liming in this country is, therefore, a resur- 

 rection and application of an old idea to nev lands. 



HOW THE NEED OF LIME CAN BE DETERMINED. 



Several methods are now in common use in chemical labora- 

 tories for ascertaining the lime requirement of soils, but thes-= 

 are too complex and difficult to permit of their employment in 

 the field or usual farm kitchen. 



The most reliable of the simple tests is that afforded by the 

 use of blue litmus paper. For this purpose one should prefer- 

 ably use a soft paper rather than some of the hard, partially 

 faded papers often found in drug stores. Fill a cup half to two- 

 thirds full of soil and add w^ater in successive small quantities 

 until, after thorough stirring, the whole mass is about like thick 

 mortar. Then part the soil with a knife, insert a narrow strip 

 of blue litmus paper, and press the soil back against the paper. 

 If, after standing a few^ hours, the blue of the paper has entirely 

 disappeared and a red or slightly pinkish-red color has taken 

 its place, it is probable that the land needs lime. 



Another simple test is the "Ammonia Test." Take a rounded 

 tablespoonful of soil and place it in an ordinary tumbler. Fill 

 the tumbler from half to two-thirds full of water and add a 



