166 THE CULTURE OF FARM CROPS. 



lessen the cost to lay a portable track of 2 x 4 timbers and 

 run a self dumping truck upon these rails. In this way 

 farms have been sanded in Germany at a cost of $10 per 

 acre and the outlay has been returned the first year by the 

 increased crop. The land is plowed and cross plowed in 

 the spring by which the sand becomes evenly mixed with 

 the clay ; the texture of which is very much improved. 



Sandy soils are equally improved by the admixture of 

 decayed swamp muck. As this class of soils are usually 

 well adapted for special cultures for which the addition of 

 clay would partially unfit them, this operation is not recom- 

 mended unless in special cases; but 100 or 200 loads per 

 acre of peat composted with lime has been known to entire- 

 ly change the appearance of the soil and to largely increase 

 its productiveness. As 100 tons of good peat free from 

 sand or clay will contain 2000 to 4000 Ibs. of nitrogen, this 

 with the addition of lime in the porous soil, freely entered 

 and occupied by the air, will enable the process of nitrifi- 

 cation to go on with great rapidity, enriching the soil with 

 nitrates to a large extent, and thus ensuring a great im- 

 provement in the fertility of it. Perhaps draining except- 

 ed there is no mode of mechanically improving soils that 

 is so effective in increasing their value and productiveness 

 as this. 



The addition of lime to peaty or heavy clay soils has the 

 effect of removing most of the objections to them; but unless 

 it is previously drained the labor is thrown away and inef- 

 fective. Lime fits peaty soils for growing grain, but is 

 greatly aided by a mixture of sand. A limed swamp 

 meadow at once changes its product of grass, and if seed is 

 sown, the better kinds of grass thrive excellently. The 

 lime loosens and mellow r s heavy clay, and makes it less re- 

 tentive of water and productive of better grain. This how- 

 ever will be more fully treated of when the use of lime as a 

 fertilizer is taken up in a future chapter. 



