CHAPTER XVI 



METHODS OF APPLICATION 



A Controlling Principle. The chief 

 purpose of liming land is to provide a base 

 with which acid may combine, so that the 

 soil may be friendly to plant life. Lime has 

 little power to distribute itself through a 

 soil, and harmful acid may remain only a 

 few inches distant from the point where 

 lime has been placed. In a general way, 

 the tendency of lime is downward, espe- 

 cially when the application at the surface 

 is heavy. Economical use demands even 

 distribution through the soil so that a suffi- 

 cient amount is in every part Means to 

 that end are good means of distribution. 



Spreading on Grass. Where lime is 

 burned on the farm, and little account of 

 labor is taken, it has been a common custom 

 to spread the lime on grass sods the year 

 previous to breaking the sod for corn, using 

 100 to 300 bushels per acre. Rains carried 

 some of the lime through the soil, and the 

 increased yields for a few years were due to 

 the improved physical condition of a stiff 



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