104 CHEMISTRY OF FARM PRACTICE 



since the application. Parsley and chicory show little 

 benefits from liming. 



It is advisable to apply lime in autumn, preferably after 

 a large amount of vegetable material has been turned 

 under. The lime may be applied by means of machines 

 especially constructed for the purpose, and should be 

 spread as evenly over the surface of the soil as possible, 

 and disk-harrowed in to the depth of about two inches. 



78. Machine for Applying Lime. The Ohio Station 

 makes the following recommendation for constructing a 

 home-made machine for the application of ground lime- 

 stone. 



Make a hopper similar to that of an ordinary grain drill, measur- 

 ing inside 8j feet or 11 feet long with sides about 21 inches wide and 

 about 20 inches apart at the top. The sides may be trussed with 

 f-inch iron rods running from the bottom at the middle to the top 

 at the ends of the hopper. Let the bottom be 5 inches wide in the 

 clear, and cut in it crosswise a row of diamond-shaped holes, 2 inches 

 wide, 2 inches long, and 4 inches apart (6 inches between centers). 

 Make a second bottom with holes in it of the same size and shape 

 as those of the main bottom, and so shaped that they will register. 

 Let this second bottom slide loosely under the first, moving upon 

 supports made by leaving a space for it above bands of strap iron 

 12 inches apart, which should be carried from one side to the other 

 under the hopper to strengthen it. The upper bottom piece may be 

 made of about 8-inch sheet steel, and the lower one may be smooth, 

 seasoned hard wood, about 1 inch thick and 7 inches wide, reinforced 

 with strap iron if necessary, and well oiled or painted. To this under 

 strip attach a V-shaped arm, extending an inch in front of the hopper, 

 with a half-inch hole in the point of the V, in which drop the end 

 of a strong lever, bolting the lever loosely but securely to the side 

 of the hopper, and fasten to the top of the hopper a guide of strap 

 iron, in which the lever may move freely back and forth. The object 

 of this lever is to regulate the size of the openings by moving the 

 bottom board. Make a frame for the hopper, with a tongue to it, 

 similar to the frame of an ordinary grain drill. 



Get a pair of old mowing-machine wheels with strong ratchets 

 in the hubs, and with pieces of round axle of sufficient length to pass 

 through the frame and into the ends of the hopper, which are to be 

 welded to a square bar of iron about If inches in diameter and the 



