SOIL MANAGEMENT 29 



(sixteen per cent), and muriate of potash, it will be necessary 

 to take three times one hundred and thirty-three pounds, or 

 three hundred and ninety-nine iDOUnds, of nitrate of soda; ten 

 times one hundred and twenty-five, or one thousand two hundred 

 and iifty pounds of acid phosphate ; and four times forty, or one 

 hundred and sixty pounds of muriate of potash. This will make 

 a total of 1809 pounds, to which can be added one hundred and 

 ninety-one pounds of sand or muck to make the Avei^lit up to 

 one ton. In a similar manner any other fertilizer formula may 

 be duplicated by using this table. 



Qt^\ntity of Carriers Necessary to Make One Per cent 



Liming the soil. — On acid soils lime must be applied before 

 the best results can be secured. It must be remembered, how- 

 ever, that lime cannot take the place of fertilizers, nor can fer- 

 tilizers take the place of lime. The first step in building up 

 fertility is to make sure that the land is well supplied with lime, 

 since without lime it is not possible to grow clovers and other 

 legumes successfully and without clover sod or legume cover 

 crops the nitrogen supply of the soil cannot be economically 

 maintained under average conditions. 



One of the easiest methods for testing the soil for acidity and 

 the need for lime is the litmus paper test. A sample of soil is 

 moistened with distilled or rain water and a strip of either blue 

 or neutral litmus paper is pressed into the moist sample. If 

 after a few minutes the paper turns red the soil is acid and in 

 need of lime. Since clover and alfalfa are very easily injured 

 by acid conditions, a good stand of either of these legumes is a 

 good indication that lime is not needed. 



Kind of lime to use. — When a ton of pure limestone or oyster 



