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Vol. LXIX. No. 4061 
NEW YORK, AUGUST 27, 1910. 
WEEKLY, $1.00 PER YEAR. 
EFFECT OF LIME ON CLOVER AND CORN. 
Varying Needs of Different Crops. 
“What’s one man’s meat is another’s poison,” says 
the old adage, and its application to farm crops as 
well as to human beings is illustrated by the accom¬ 
panying photographs. Figs. 350, 351, 352 and 353. In 
1908 we received a carload of quicklime for applying 
to some clay loam soil which we were 
trying to improve. In order to spread 
the lime it had to be slaked so that it 
would crumble. A temporary shed was 
erected on a field near the ones which 
received the lime, and into it the lime 
was shoveled, while enough water was 
added to water-slake the pile. Fig. 350 
shows the lime shed as it appeared a day 
or two after filling. The shed had no 
floor except the ground, and when the 
lime was drawn away to the fields 
enough was left to-makc a pretty heavy 
application where the shed had been. 
In 1909 a crop of corn was grown in 
the field where the lime shed had stood. 
It was noticed that the soil was some¬ 
what discolored where the lime had lain 
on top of the ground during the previous 
season. The corn came up all right, hut 
soon showed signs of being stunted 
where the lime had been most plentiful. 
At tasseling time it looked as Fig. 353 
shows, behind the other hills in the field, 
and it never caught up with them. 
This season we planted an early crop 
of oats and field peas for soiling pur¬ 
poses, using two bushels of oats and one 
of peas per acre. The weather was very 
favorable for their growth, so much so 
that many portions of the field lodged 
badly before the straw became too 
mature for the cows to relish it. I 
watched the spot where the lime shed 
stood two years before, and noticed that 
the growth was taller and lodged quicker 
where the heavy liming had been. My 
photograph shows the condition of the 
crop on June 25, after cutting had com¬ 
menced. Here is a plain case of too 
much lime in the soil for corn to grow 
properly, but not too much for peas and 
oats. 
Nearly a mile away from this spot is 
a field in which the soil is very similar. 
It is called Dunkirk clay loam. Last 
year we raised a fair crop of oats on it, 
but the seeding of Medium Red and 
Alsike clover was almost a complete 
failure. Other fields seeded in the same 
manner and under similar conditions 
produced more than 2 1 / tons of clover 
hay per acre this season, but these fields 
have been limed in recent years. I saw 
one day last Spring a spot of rank clover 
growiug in this field of weeds, a veritable 
oasis in the desert as Fig. 351 shows. 
When the field was plowed for a late 
sown crop of Soy beans I examined the 
furrows where the clover patch stood, 
and found enough charcoal to assure me 
that a bonfire had once been burned over 
this spot. The ashes from this bonfire 
had made the difference between marked 
success and failure with clover on this 
part of the field. Now I feel sure that 
lime, or perhaps both potash and lime, 
are needed on this field before we can 
succeed with our entire rotation of crops, which in¬ 
cludes one year in clover. We arc now planning to 
plant corn on the field next year in order to bring it 
into a regular rotation. Before it is seeded again to 
clover we will find a convenient time to make a suffi¬ 
ciently large application of lime to this field. This ap¬ 
pears-to he the plan that il is necessary for us to follow. 
Without lime there seems small prospects for clover, 
and without clover we do not expect to raise maximum 
corn crops on this type of soil. edward il minns. 
R. N.-Y.—This difference in various crops in the 
effect of lime upon them has been mentioned by Prof. 
Wheeler, of Rhode Island. Corn rarely responds to 
lime. Small grains will—rye least of all from our ex¬ 
perience. Clover, Alfalfa and similar crops must have 
an abundance of lime to grow well. Strawberries and 
cranberries do not grow well in an alka¬ 
line soil, and in most cases lime or wood 
ashes used on strawberries will do the 
crop more harm than good. 
CEMENTED WOODEN FEED BOX. 
J. D. R. on page 765 asks about lining 
wooden feed boxes with cement. Any 
box for feed or water may be lined with 
concrete easily and coating three-quar¬ 
ters inch thick will be sufficient. The 
trouble in using wooden cleats or laths, 
to hold lining in place is the liability of 
wood to shrink or swell. If J. D. R. 
will drive the inside of box or trough to 
be lined full of common barrels nails— 
heavy nails an inch long—putting them 
from one to two inches apart, and leav¬ 
ing them one-half inch out of wood, and 
use the best quality of Portland cement 
and clean rather coarse sand, one part 
cement and two parts sand, thoroughly 
mixed, and be sure to work it well down 
among the nails, he will have a box as 
tight as a jug. The concrete should not 
be mixed too wet. 
While about it I might as well tell 
how to make the cheapest and best 
water trough in the world. If to be 
permanent, first dig a foundation deep 
enough to be below frost and fill this 
with the stones or very coarse gravel— 
stones are best. Level top and if filled 
with stones or very coarse gravel 
make top smooth. Have form for out¬ 
side ready, of any shape and size de¬ 
sired and place same on foundation and 
secure in place by driving stakes to 
which it should be fastened, having top 
level. For trough use mixture one part 
cement to two of coarse sand or fine 
gravel. Put in bottom four inches thick. 
Then set on this the form for inside of 
trough. This should be made six inches 
smaller each way than the outside and 
better if two inches smaller at bottom 
than top. For corners of inside form, 
cut pieces of two by two, or any other 
sizes, just long enough to come to top 
of trough, and cut ends of board both 
for sides and ends of trough on an angle 
so that when nailed to cover it will he 
about a three-inch cut-off. This will 
both strengthen the cover and make it 
easy to get out lining from inside When 
forms are placed fill between them with 
mortar of same proportion as named and 
be sure to ram it solid as sides and ends 
are being filled. The corners should be 
reinforced at least every two inches, 
oftener is better, with barbed wire cut 
into pieces 18 or 20 inches long and bent 
to go around the corner. At the top by 
using a float of proper shape the edges 
may be rounded off. 
To provide for an outlet, get a piece 
of one-inch iron pipe 12 inches long and 
put an elbow on one end; bed this into 
A SPOT OF CLOVER FOLLOWING A BONFIRE. Fig. 351. 
