Making the Soil Over 231 



pound of seed to a strip of ground 50 feet long by 10 

 feet wide. If the ground is rough or hard, it should 

 be cultivated just before the seed is sown and then cul- 

 tivated again to cover the seed. Sow the seed between 

 the rows of crops not yet gathered. Rye is very hardy 

 and will sprout, even though there is frost nearly every 

 night. At a cost of about five cents for a pound of 

 seed, a garden of 10x50 feet can thus be treated to an 

 application of green manure. The green rye plants 

 soon decay when turned under, and answer the same 

 purpose as a light dressing of manure. 



Green manure, however, should not be relied upon to 

 do the work of stable manure, as it does not provide 

 phosphorus or potassium. 



Land which has long been unused, or land in lawns, 

 is apt to be sour. To remedy this condition, apply, 

 evenly, one pound of air-slaked lime, or two pounds of 

 ground limestone, to every 30 square-feet. The lime 

 should be applied and raked in to a depth of two inches, 

 when the seed bed is being prepared in the spring. In- 

 stead of lime, two pounds of unleached wood-ashes may 

 be used. Do not apply lime at the same time as manure 

 or mixed fertilizers, as it will cause loss of nitrogen. 



As an addition to soil, lime is of considerable value, 

 besides correcting acidity, it changes the physical 

 structure of the soil. One of the elements of lime is 

 calcium, which is required for plant growth. 



Small livestock and the garden work nicely together. 

 The garden feeds the chickens with green stuff; the 

 chickens feed the garden with natural fertilizer of a 

 superior brand. The same is true of squabs, rabbits 

 and goats. 



