POSSIBILITIES OF WORN-OUT FARMS. 43 



the growth of clover and other leguminous crops which utilize 

 the free nitrogen of the air, and thus saves the expenditure of 

 money for this most costly plant food. 



A word of caution may not be out of place in this connection, 

 for excessive amounts of caustic lime may be injurious to the 

 very plants which are benefited by moderate amounts. This 

 seems to be specially true of leguminous plants, particularly if 

 the soil is but slightly, or not at all, acid. It is likewise true of 

 the potato, for, as shown by the Rhode Island Experiment Station,* 

 lime favors the growth of the potato scab fungus. 



The Need of Drainage. 



Water is the medium by which the plant food of the soil is made 

 available. This water, however, must not be in the form of stand- 

 ing water, for such a condition is injurious both to soil and to 

 plant. 



That soil is best fitted for plant growth in which the spaces 

 between the particles of soil are filled with air, and the particles 

 themselves are coated with a film of moisture. It may be stated 

 as a general rule that "All lands in which the spaces between the 

 soil particles are filled with water within less than four feet of the 

 surface, would be benefited by underdraining." 



At this time, and with this company, however, a discussion of 

 the theory and practice of underdrainage is unnecessary. Suffice 

 it to say, it is a self-evident fact that the first step in reclaiming 

 some of the abandoned farms of New England, is the removal 

 of surplus water. 



The Need of Tillage. 



As is well understood by every intelligent cultivator of the soil, 

 the physical condition of the land is of much more importance 

 than mere richness in plant food. Plant food is of no consequence 

 unless the plant can make use of it, and hard or lumpy soil will 



* The most valuable studies of the effects of line upon the "worn-out" soils of New 

 England are those of the Rhode Island Station. 



