Written  for the  Indlsna  Farmer:
How to  Lime  tbe Land.
II. S. C.
I.iine Cor use upon the land is always in
its best and most available form when it
is in the slaked condition. A few words
concerning the chemistry of lime will he
in order here.
Lime stone or calcium carbonate when
subjected to great heat in a kiln gives off
carbonic acid gas or carbon dioxide, and
leaves behind a white lumpy residue called quick lime, or calcium oxide, a compound with great alllnity or attraction for
water.
It readily absorbs moisture from the
air, and in time crumbles into a sort of
powder. If allowed to remain exposed
to tlie air too long it also takes on carbon
dioxide which converts it to the cailbon-
nte of lime again. The taking on of
moisture from the air is called air slaking. When water in quantity is added
to quick lime the sinking process goes
on rapidly and is accompanied with an
evolution   of   considerable   heat The
chemical change hy combination: with
water results in caustic or slaked lime or
calcium hydroxide, a form quite soluble
in- water and most valuable, for application to the soil, on this account. Quick
lime when added to the land Is soon converted to the caustic or slaked condition
upon contact with the moisture in the
soil. By all means apply slaked lime in
preference to other conditions, if early returns in crops are desired. It is the most
concentrated and at the same time the
most economical form to handle.
The quantity of lime to use, as we stated in our previous writing along this line,
depends upon the soil conditions. Where
there is an abundant growth of common
sorrel or abnormal vegetable component
in the soil, a considerable quantity of lime
will be necessary to counteract the acidity. From one and one-half to two and
one-half tons per acre are usually applied
under such conditions. For soils of
less acidity and lower vegetable content
from one to one and one-half tons per
acre are sullicient to correct any medium
acid condition. The rule in liming the
soil should be: "Moderation rather than
exces sfor two much time is frequently
worse than none at all. Better apply
smaller quantities oftcner than use larger
amounts at long intervals. Be careful
not to apply an excess.
Several methods for the application of
lime to the land may be mentioned: (a) by
spreading it with the shovel direct from
the wagon. If the substance be fresh,
quick lime, be sure to keep on the win-
ward sides as the alkaline dust will work
serious harm to one's hands, face and
eyes, as well as to the horses and harness ;(b) by spreading itwith a shovel from
small heap?, of three pecks or about 50
pounds each, which have been previously
placed on the field aud left to air slake, In
this manner the dust trouble is entirely
obviated; (c) by applying it with a lime
or manure spreader; (d) "by using a grain
drill with a fertilizer attachment. In
this case the lime must be dry and finely
pulverized. This makes it more expensive to the farmer but this method of application is most convenient and satisfactory.
It is generally thought best to apply
slaked lime to the soil in the autumn just
after the field is plowed, and then to
work it thoroughly into the ground wiih
the harrow or cultivator. For other
forms of lime, such as marl, land plaster,
or powdered gypsum springtime is the
best season for application.
IC the field is plowed in the fall in
preparation for next spring's corn crop it
will be better to scatter the lime and
work it in before the ground is frozen. If
the lime cannot be obtained in- time for
this it can be hauled out later on in the
winter, deposited in small piles, then
spread iu the spring and mixed with the
top soil while tho field is being prepared
for the com crop.
Sometimes it is not convenient to determine the quantity of lime by weight, so
measuring by the bushel is resorted to.
Ordinary fresh quick lime usually weights
Nearest to them are the stamens. These
commonly grow in the form of a balanced
head, supported by a little stalk or stem.
Corresponding to the honey of the pistil,
there is a dust on the stamen, whieh at
Ihe proper time, falls upon the pistil. This
■lust is called pollen; und its function is
to fertilize the pistil. Bees are fond of
this dust nml will load tlieir legs with it,
to carry home and mniitifacttire into bee-
bread, lt is thus that we get "the
honey nnd the honey comb:"—to use n
scrip tun- expression.
When a pistillate llower receives no
pollen it dies without making any seed:
nml the fruit is absorbed. The staminate
that the tlower is fertilized  fruni another
tree and the seedling is n cross.
This can lie controlled by tying a gauze
or screen wire about a portion of tlur
bloom, and so keeping the bees away.
Over the encased bloom pollen from any
desired variety may Ijo shaken; and in
Ibis way the fruit-wizards havo bred
many splendid varieties. The Burbank
plum, (he IJonk apple, the Black Ben
Davis, (Kagan's Ued) and the wonderful
tiriincs* (.olden nre fruits produced by
simply crossing the stock in the seed.
The corn llower is a curiosity—although
Ihe most plentiful of all farm flowers.
The "ear" is a huge calyx of green leaves,
iu which there is no corolla, but from
two to eight hundred pistils arranged
along the central stem, later called a
cob. The calyx is called tlie husk or
"shuck," and the pistils grow long enough
to protrude out of tho closed calyx as
colored "silks." There is no stamen in that
bloom; but, at the top of the stalk there
is another central stem, upon which grow
a great multitude of stamens. These
furnish pollen- enough to fertilize all the
silks and cover the ground besides. Every
silken pistil produces a seed; and the cob
has as many grains on it as there are impregnated "silks."
The seed cups of red clover are so deep
that honey bees can not reach the generative organs; so this product depends upon
the bumble bees. If at the proper time
for fertilizing, there are three or four
rainy days, so that the bumble bees cannot lly, the clover seed is a scarce article. Moral: Do not kill the bumble
bees.
In next lesson, I will consider the seed
iu its parts. Walter S. Smith.
Arlington, November 22.
Conntry Home of S. W. Dungan, near Franklin, Indiana.
70 pounds per Ibushel, and in the air slaked state it is nearly twice that of the
original bulk.
THE  FARM SCHOOL.
Lesson   2.
The Flower  aad  the Seed.
Botany.
The bloom is essential to the seed.
Bloom is not always the same as flowers.
When the bloom is regarded only as a
thing to see and smell, it is called blossom
or llower. By many, the three terms are
used interchangeably; and, in that way,
they arc commonly understood.
I.et mc say flower, here, and so avoid
too many terms for the idea. A flower is
"perfect,' "imperfect," staminate," "pistillate." "male," "female," "single," "double," etc.;.each term having a distinguishing sense of its own. The elements essential to semination (seed producing) are
the pistils and the stamens. The range
of leaves that make the flower, as to
spread, color, etc., are called the corolla;
and the thin, colored leaves of which it is
eom'iosed are called petals. Outside the
corolla there is another range of le.'ives
called the calyx. The leaves that form it
r.re called sepals. There are some flowers that have neither petals nor sepals but
only stamens or pistils, or both. If both,
the flower is perfect, or hermophrodite. If
only pistils, or only stamens, it is imperfect, nnd of itself will produce no seed.
The pistils are at the center of the flower,
and at the proper time they exude a sweet
v. ax, wliich bees collect, and manufacture
into honey. They are called the female
organs of the flower.
flower never bears fruit unless it is also
pistillate. But, from it, the pistillate
flower secures the seminal pollen, and at
once the process of seed-making is set up.
When the essential elements are in- different Howe's there must be a means of
conveying tlie pollen to the waxy tip of
the pistil, and this is accomplished in
three ways. In* corn, for instance, the
pollen falls from the tassel (or plume) at
the top of the stalk to tha silk, and here
gravitation is the means employed. But
corn mixes. This is accomplished by
tbe action of the wind; or by the hand of
some Luther Burbank who wants it mixed (or crossed).
In melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, clovers an-d many of the berries, the pollen
is   carried   by   the   bees. Most   of   our
fruits come that way; for their bloom is
rarely made hermophrodite.
This is the reason trees bear better
frnit and more of it, when they stand in
proximity. No vacancy should be allowed in an orchard. But when a tree
dies it should be dug out and another
planted in its place. So, corn should
not be allowed to grow too far apart.
A single stalk may bear a good ear, stand
ing alor.e; but this occurs only when the
day of pnlleiiizitig is free from wind. If
this day is windy, the pollers is mostly
blown away and the ear will have a few
scattered grains. If apples trees are so
far apart thnt the bees do not go from one
tsi another there will be but few blooms
impregnated, throogh their agency; and
many of the blossoms will fail to fruit.
The reason apple seeds do not produce "after themselves," as it is called, is,
A CHALLENGE TO CORN IIUSKEUS.
Editors Indiana Farmer
I see in your paper of last week an item
about a crippled man who had husked and
cribbed 10G bushels ofi corn in one day.
How much could he have husked and
cribbed if he had not been crippled? We
have a large boy down here in Fountain
county, AVabash township, that we have
been training in com husking, and have
got him up to 25 bushels per hour. We
would like to match him with some souud,
able bodied person, and want the same
witnesses that the crippled man had when
he cribbed his 1<!G bushels and got done
before sun down. If any correspondence
is necessary on the subject, please address
si. Yerkes, Covington, Itid., who has read
the Indiana Farmer for 30 years.
—We would like to see that contest if it
goes off. It  Mould be lively work  and
more exciting than foot ball. Talking of
husking 25 bushels of corn per hour reminds us of a husker tJ1.1t our uncle used
to tell about; we worked ott uncle's farm
in   eastern   Illinois  when  a   boy. This
fast busker, uncle said would keep an
ear in tbe air all the time, between him
and the com pile, when he was doing his
best work. The plan we worked on at that
time was to jerk the corn from the stalk,
husk and all, and shovel it on to the bain
floor to be husked ■ out later. Sometimes we had husking bees ami worked by
lantern light. AVe think uncle stretched
his story a little, probably, though the
ears were smaller and the husks thinner
than those of the present day.
On ironing day, the irons may be heat
in far le«s time if an ordinary iron bake
pan be inverted over them while over the
l'a me.