CHAPTER VIII 

 SPECIAL CROP DEMANDS 



Lime-Loving Crops. There are plants 

 which are acid-resistant, giving a good re- 

 turn for fertilization and care when the soil 

 is sour. There are a few kinds of culti- 

 vated plants that seem to prefer an acid 

 soil, and to resent lime applications. Most 

 staple crops prefer an alkaline soil, or at 

 least one that has no large requirement, and 

 there are plants that thrive best only in land 

 rich in lime. Not all such plants require 

 more as a component part of their structure, 

 but do have a high percentage in their ash. 



Liming for Alfalfa. When all other 

 conditions are right, alfalfa thrives or fails 

 according as a soil is rich in lime or is dis- 

 tinctly deficient. It is entirely possible to 

 get fair yields of this legume for a short 

 time from land that is not fully alkaline, 

 but full yields and ability to last for a term 

 of years depend upon a liberal lime supply. 

 Alfalfa is at home only in a naturally cal- 

 careous soil, or one that has been given 

 some of the characteristics of such land by 



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