How to Apply Lime 



Never plow lime under. Put it on the surface soil and harrow it 

 in, so as to incorporate it well with the soil. 



On large areas a fertilizer drill can be used in distributing any fine 

 form of lime. Special lime distributors are used with both coarse 

 and fine lime, but with small areas the farmer is hardly justified in 

 buying a special lime drill. He can spread it with a shovel. 



Fig. 22. Spreading Lime with a Distributer. 



This is not a pleasant job, even on a quiet day. It may neces- 

 sitate the use of goggles to protect the eyes, and a wet cloth over 

 the nose. 



Manure Spreader Works Fine 



A manure spreader will eliminate the dust difficulty. Cover the 

 apron with a few inches of fine manure. If you wish to apply three 

 tons of lime to the acre distribute 1500 pounds evenly over the sur- 

 face of the manure. Set your spreader at four loads to the acre 

 usually the lowest gear. At this rate you will be applying 6000 

 pounds or three tons of lime on your soil. With this standard the 

 amount applied can be easily regulated. (See Pig. 27.) 



Lime is often spread from a wagon as fast as it is hauled from the 

 car. This saves rehandling. 



To gauge your applications, three shovelfuls to a square rod will make 

 two tons to the acre, provided the shovel will hold eight pounds of lime. 



Apply Lime as Top Dressing only with Loose Open Soils 



Suppose you have alfalfa on a sour soil and it fails to produce 

 well. Is it practicable to apply lime directly to a growing alfalfa field? 



Under no circumstances should quicklime or fresh lime be used 

 for this purpose, for the caustic properties of such lime are very apt 

 to kill the alfalfa plants. Finely divided ground limestone, marl 

 or air-slaked lime may be used. They will prove helpful, especially 

 on loose, open sandy soils where the lime will work its way down 

 into the soil where it is needed. 



It should be applied early in the spring, before the frost is out of 

 the ground. Top dressing heavy soils with lime will not be nearly 

 so effective, and often satisfactory results are not obtained. Lime 

 applied to a plowed field before seeding is alwa y s more profitable 

 than lime applied after seeding. 



27 



