site end of the plot when digging is finished. When all is finished, 
lime may be applied to advantage, scattering it over the surface 
and then raking or harrowing it in. Use from thirty to forty pounds 
of air-slaked lime or good ground limestone on a plot 20x40 feet. 
If no manure is used, the lime may be spread over the surface 
before the ground is dug, but it is not advisable to apply lime 
directly in contact with manure as it may result in the rapid lib- 
eration of ammonia from the manure in the form of gas and thus 
much of its fertilizing value will be wasted. 
The treatment of the ground the following spring will depend 
on circumstances; if the sods and manure have thoroughly decayed 
it will be advisable to dig the plot over again. If they are only 
partly decayed, it will be better to leave them buried and be con- 
tent with chopping up any surface weeds with a hoe and loosen- 
ing the top soil with a rake so as to provide a good seed bed. 
Clay soils. — Heavy clay soils are improved by being dug up in 
the autumn and left with the surface rough so that the frost has 
a chance to penetrate. Freezing breaks up the heavy, sticky clay, 
causing it to crumble, and greatly improves its physical condition. 
Liming, also, is of great value to clay soils as, apart from its value 
as a fertilizer and a corrector of soil acidity, lime flocculates the 
clay particles, rendering the soil more open and pervious to water. 
Stable manure, especially if it contains much straw, is also of 
great value for lightening heavy soils. It should be applied in 
the autumn, burying it as deeply as possible. Clay soils that 
have been thoroughly plowed and fertilized in the autumn will be 
ready for planting the following spring afterthe surface has been 
leveled and fined by the use of harrow or rake. It is important 
not to walk on heavy soils more than is absolutely necessary 
especially when they are wet, as this results in further consoli- 
dating them and making it still more difficult for the plant roots 
to penetrate. One of the great disadvantages of heavy soils is 
the slowness with which they dry out and warm up in the spring. 
By preparing the ground in the preceding autumn, much time is 
saved in the spring; the soil dries out more rapidly and it is 
possible to commence planting earlier than would otherwise be 
the case. 
Sandy soils.— As a general thing, it is not a good plan to dig or 
plow sandy land in the autumn. Such soils are not very retentive 
of plant foods and the result of fall plowing is the loss of some 
fertility by leaching. Under some circumstances, however, the 
fertility and physical condition of sandy soils can be greatly im- 
proved by digging them early in the fall and planting a crop of 
rye or hairy vetch, to be plowed under the following spring. 
This practice is known as “green manuring’’. In such cases 
the ground should be dug up about the middle of September, 
