inferior. Our garden contains all 
the elements necessary to good plant; 
growth, and the fertilizer acted as a 
poison. The addition of organic mat- 
ter to the soil brings all the elements 
necessary to the life and health of 
the plants. It is true, however, that. 
the soil on which organic matter is 
grown determines, to some extent, 
its value. If you can secure matter 
from swamps and virgin soil, and 
leaf mold from forests you have an 
advantage. But almost any kind of 
organic matter is better than none. 
Lime mixed with sand and certain 
kinds of clay will harden almost 
like stone. Lime on soil does the 
same. It burns up the organic matter 
in the soil leaving it to become hard: 
so that the plant foods thus liber-. 
ated are carried off by surface 
water. The chief element in lime is 
calcium, and this element is present 
in organic matter in sufficient quan- 
tities for all plants. True enough, 
lime may improve the growth of a 
crop, but it does so by liberating the 
plant food that the soil contains, 
making it et the plant, Wee 
