Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-18
Farm AND ORCHARD,
BENEFIT OF LIME ON GREEN MANU-
RIAL CROPS.
Farmers Hog-A Few Helps-The
Grape Moth-The Borer.

Lime shows beneficial effect on nearly
all soils, even when applied to Limestone
lands. The benefits are not derived from
the lime as plant food in every case, 1or
experience shows that on some soils that
are not deficient in lime the crops are IN
creased and the land improved when lime
is added. When limestone is converted
into lime, during the process OF burning,
carbonic acid is driven of, and the lime
stone carbonate of lime) is changed to
lime simply because the ACID is separated
from, lie base When lime is slaked with
water there is something more than mix
ture as the water and the lime chemically
combine, forming hydrate of lime. When
the lime is left exposed for sufficient
time after its union with water it gradu-
allv becomes a carbonate again by uniting
with the carbonic acid of the atmosphere.
Thus no matter in what shape we use the
lime. its tendency is always to become car
Donate of lime again.
The processes which we can see and I'M
derstand in the treatment OF lime also
take place in the soil. When lime Is
scattered over the surface of land 1t at
once begins to change its composition and
become carbonate of lime, either direct or
by first becoming hydrate. When green
crops are grown for manure and plowed
under, it is the rule to apply dressing OF
lime over the plowed land. As the plants
are composed largely of water and car
Donate acid they are readily acted upon
by the line, and thereby quickly reduced,
while the chemical processes that occur
lead to a number of others, the resultant
compounds being often numerous accord
ing to the condition of the soil, which is
itself also acted upon chemically, thus
liberating a proportion of plant food from
insoluble matter that is otherwise beyond
the agency of plants.
The Importance of growing green crops
to be turned under is well known to those
who have been compelled to restore lands
that have become impoverished, and as
plant-food grown upon the land can add
nothing more than it derives from the
soil itself, the increased fertility must
consequently be due to the captured am
monia of the air and the plant-food hber-
ated through the agency of lime and the
organic matter of the crops grown as green
manure When the lime is omitted the
beneficial effects of the green manure are
not as marked, but on all classes of soils it
has been found profitable to apply lime.
Lime is also food for the plants, and enters
into the composition of every plant grown
as crop. 1t exerts a chemical influence
of its own that is beneficial in many ways,
but its beneficial effects are derived more
largely to its influence over the substances
that compose the soil of the organic mat
ter Observation-Disclosures Record
HOW TO INCREASE THE MANURE PILE.
Farmers do not always give as much at
tention to increasing the size of the ma
nure pile as they might. There are the
pig pens, and most of them are wet and
filthy, the pigs naturally being in the
same condition. There is always plenty
of chat or waste material of one kind or
another around the barns or stables, and
this can be literally supplied. When
this runs out leaves can be hauled from
the woods during off days, put into a near
by shed and used as needed. If the farm
is near river, the rushes and dry grass
which come ashore in quantities in many
places can be hauled up, and make excel
lent bedding and manure. In this way
the writer has managed to keep his men
and teams busy when there was little else
to do. The pigs were always comfortable
and clean, and large quantities of manure
were made, generally getting from three
or four large pig pens fifty to sixty loads
of fine manure There was at all times
enough dry material to absorb the LIQUID
matter, and thus prevent much value from
running down the drains to be entirely
lost and to make a nuisance around the
pens.
The barn-yard sloped toward the center,
making quite large and wide place for
the liquid manure from the stables and
barn-yard to collect in. Here were de-
posted considerable quantities from time
to time of waste corn-stalks, leaves from
the woods, rushes and dry grass from the
river and any other waste, absorbent ma
terials The leaves and dried rushes were
also used for bedding for the horses and
cattle. Nothing was better or cheaper.
The stables were always clean and free
from wet, slush and dampness. On the
farm were neat, roomy and comfortable
hen houses, in which the poultry was
housed every night and not permitted to
roost on trees, wagons, plows and other i'm
plements in the sheds By cleaning out
the hen houses every month and keeping
the floors well sanded several barrels Of
good manure were secured, which made
the corn fairly jump when applied to it in
the spring. This manure was kept in bar
rels, under cover, in the best possible con-
dition for applying to corn, onions OF
crops.-Americdn AgTicuitUriSt.
THE FARMERS HOG.
The profitable hog for the average
farmer is the one that is quickly grown
fattens without delay, and can be
slaughtered before it begins to consume
the food laid up for the winter. Such q
hog cannot be obtained from any of the
famous pure breeds, which answer to the
purpose of the large swine breeders, but
not for the purpose of the small farmer
who raises his own pork. There must be
some cross which will supply this animal,
which may also be called the general-pur-
pose hog. A good cross that will hold his
qualities without so much watching to
prevent deterioration, and one which has
individual excellence, is not to be obtained
easily. Lev H'luS Vi OtlI QoulCSllC
are so easily nodded as the hog, and in
breeding for some particular purpose the
owner has many qualities at hand which
he can combine and perpetuate. The
pedigree matters not so much, so long as
the breeding animals which are to make
the cross are of pure blood and bear the
distinctive marks of their breed on them.
Given these good parents, ofsprings that
will combine the good qualities Of the two
may be raised successfully. The farmer
wants cross that will convert his surplus
corn into meat, making the greatest num-
Der of pounds for the amount of corn con-
sumed, and at the earliest age possible
Many think that such pig is found in the
Poland China, and others in the Berkshire
but a cross between these two is much SUI.
perior to either. There is an increase Of
frame and flesh from the Poland China