CROPS AND SOIL IMPROVEMENT 



of magnesia. The latter is preferred by manu- 

 facturers who furnish pulverized lime because it 

 does not slake readily, and is less liable to burst 

 the packages before required for use. A pound 

 of magnesian lime will correct a little more acid 

 than a pound of pure lime, and no preference 

 may be shown the latter on that score. There 

 are soils in which the proportion of magnesia to 

 pure lime is too great for best results with some 

 plants, as plant biologists assure us, but there is 

 too little definite information respecting these 

 soils to justify one in paying more for a high cal- 

 cium lime than for a magnesian lime when it is 

 to be used on acid land. The day may come when 

 more will be known, but the rational selection 

 to-day is the material that will do the required 

 work in the soil for the least money. 



Amount per Acre. The amount of lime that 

 should be applied to an acre of land depends upon 

 the degree of its acidity, the nature of the soil, 

 the cheapness of the lime, and the character of the 

 crops to be grown. The actual requirement for 

 the moment could be determined by a chemical 

 test, but the application should carry to the soil 

 an amount in excess of immediate requirement. 

 When clover has ceased to grow within recent 



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