75 



would lime every acre of his farm. In 1844, he 

 applied 200 bushels of lime on two acres before sow- 

 ing the wheat, and it was a magnificent crop over 

 ~>0 bushels per acre ; and he says he can see the effect 

 of that lime on the land to the present day/' 

 Gencsee Farmer, 1863. 



After reading this, shall we be afraid to plow in 

 green manure, lest it should make weak straw, and 

 cause the wheat to fall ? Here we have a certain 

 remedy in salt and lime. But we must be careful 

 not to use too much lime. There is an old proverb, 

 the lesson, we presume, of observation and experience : 



k< Tliat too much lime and no manure, 

 Will make the farm and farmer poor." 



The reason is plain enough. Lime contains very- 

 little plant focd. A good crop of wheat, of 34 bushels 

 per acre, takes from the soil only one pound of lime, 

 and the straw about seven pounds. Salt and lime act 

 Events of the soil, and of the vegetable matter in 

 it. Hence the more green crops, and stable manure 

 we plow in, the longer the land cnn stand the dis- 

 solving action of these minerals. 



Alderman Mechi found salt to be indispensable on 

 his rich land. He says : " IJe salted all his wheats 

 at the rate of four to eight bushels per acre, and was 

 determined to uxe mw:h more. He knew a gentleman 

 in Northamptonshire whose wheat crop could scarcely 

 ever be kept from going down until he used salt, 

 which had effectually kept it standing." 



When putting in wheat, it is a matter of great im- 

 portance to have the land in the right condition to 

 receive the seed. If you plow in a very heavy green 

 crop, and so\v at once, you may have almost a total 



