EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 319 



is the amount per pile. If the rate be 1,200 pounds per acre 30, (l,200-^- 

 40) pounds is the amount yer pile. 



In applying underground or unslaked burned lime, probably the best 

 way is to distribute in piles as described above and allow to stand until 

 slaked. It will not require a long time for the air to accomplish the 

 slaking. A small amount of water may be applied to each pile, though 

 tins might prove something of a task. A few shovelfuls of moist soil 

 thrown upon each pile is said to accomplish the slaking in a very short 

 time. When the slaking has been accomplished the spreading should 

 be done as indicated above. 



The manure spreader has been recommended for sj)reading lime. The 

 method proposed is to load the spreader just full with manure, being 

 careful to \evel the load evenly. A proper amount of lime is then spread 

 over the top of the load and is thus spread with the manure, J^ome 

 objection has been offered to this method in windy weather. The amount 

 of lime to be added to eack load of manure may be determined by divid- 

 ing the intended application per acre, by the number of loads of manure 

 which is being applied per acre. If six loads of manure is the rate of 

 application and 900 pounds of lime is to lie applied per acre 150, 

 (900h-6) pounds is the weight of lime to be added to each load of manure. 

 If 1,200 pounds is the rate at which the lime is to be applied per acre, 

 then 200, (1.200-f-6) pounds of lime is added to each load. 



In applying marl it is best tO' dig the marl, throw into piles, and allow 

 to stand for some days or even weeks before hauling to the field. By 

 some it is recommended that the marl should be dug in winter. This will 

 allow much of the water in the marl at the time of digging to evaporate. 

 The marl should then be hauled to the field and distributed in piles 

 as described above. When air dry, the marl is easily pulverized and 

 distributed. A slanting blow with the back of a shovel will usually 

 reduce a large lump of air dry marl to powder. 



As stated above not all soils are benefited by an application of lime. 

 Probably the great majority of Michigan soils will not be benefited by 

 an application of lime. There is only one sure way of determining 

 whether a soil needs lime and that is by trial. An application of lime 

 over a whole field would be a waste of both time and money if the 

 field were not in need of such an application. It is suggested that the 

 farmer who has not already proven for himself whether his soils need 

 lime would better conduct a few simple experiments at different points 

 on his farm. A few barrels of lime or a few tons of limestone or a 

 few loads of marl would not cost a great deal and the labor of treat- 

 ing a strip with lime or ground limestone here and there across different 

 fields in which crops were to be grown or to treat a small area here and 

 there, at different points in fields in which crops are to be grown, would 

 involve but a small amount of labor. These areas should be very care- 

 fully located and marked and the results of the applications should be 

 carefully studied on the succeeding crops. It is possible that the effects, 

 good or bad, may be easily apparent. It is possible that there will be 

 no effects and it is possible that the eft'ects can be discovered only by 

 carefully cutting and weighing the crop from portions of the treated 

 areas and comparing them with the crops produced upon equal adjacent 

 areas. 



Cautions. — Lime should not he appUed to mamire piles nor to the Ut- 

 ter ill the ham. 



Lime should not he applied to land heing prepared for potatoes. 



