124 THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF 



matter, which, Hke the sand, improved 

 the texture, these being assisted by the 

 chalk, which also provided lime. A mixture 

 of such soils would not only be porous, 

 promoting the passage of extraneous mois- 

 ture into the subsoil in wet weather, while 

 retaining sufficient moisture for the use of 

 plants in dry weather, but, owing to its 

 excellent texture, it could be easily tilled 

 and cleaned. 



Reference may now be made to the impor- 

 tance of lime as an aid to the production of 

 crops. Lime is itself a plant food; it promotes 

 the decomposition of farm-yard manure — a 

 fact which may be recognised if a handful of 

 quicklime is mixed with a spadeful of dung, 

 when ammonia will be released; while it 

 exerts a physical power which is highly 

 advantageous to the majority of soils. Thus, 

 it increases the cohesive and water-retaining 

 power of a light soil, and, on the other hand, 

 renders a stiff soil less exhaustive, gives it 

 great friability, and thus renders it more 

 porous, enabling an excess of rainfall to pass 

 through it. It is of great value on sour soil, 

 inasmuch as it neutralises the acids, and in 

 consequence promotes the growth of culti- 

 vated plants at the expense of the weeds 



