PREPARATIONS FOR CULTIVATION 43 
It is a good plan to use light stable manure, 
vegetable refuse, road sweepings, burnt clay and 
ashes on a heavy soil which is inclined to be cold 
and retentive, whilst cow and pig manure will be 
most useful on very light and dry soil. 
Lime is very useful and essential to most things 
except Ericas, Azaleas, Rhododendrons and other 
peat-loving plants, but before dressing with lime it 
is advisable to submit the soil to a simple test to 
ascertain whether there is actual deficiency. The 
best method of testing is to place a small quantity 
of the soil in a glass jar half filled with water — say 
about an ounce of soil in a gill of rain-water. Shake 
the jar until the soil is well mixed, then pour in 
half an ounce of hydrochloric acid (spirit of salt). 
If the soil contains ample lime a strong effervescence 
will follow the addition of the acid, and the weaker 
the effervescence the greater the need for the appli- 
cation of lime. 
If the soil is infested with grubs and insects an 
autumn dressing of gas-lime will do much good. 
One pound to the square yard, strewn over the 
surface and then dug in before Spring planting 
commences, is a satisfactory dressing. 
On Planting Seasons 
Where planting is to proceed immediately or where 
one's object is to sweeten and improve established 
borders a good ground lime or the finely powdered 
Limbux may be used with greater safety. 
