Show ERRORS IN MANAGING SOILS soil acidity Is responsible in many instances for failure of seeding of alfalfa and clover to be careless in the treatment of the soil Is as fatal to profitable agri culture aa to be indifferent in the care of live stock alpon the farm writes A R whitson chief of the state labora tory established by the last legisla ture to aid wisconsin farmers we seem content to stop with the knowledge that there Is something decidedly wrong with our fields we know that at one time they yielded much better crops but we willingly rest with the conclusion that they are wearing out large areas of soils even in this state are acid and as a consequence will not yield as plentifully as ahey should we have to determine by means of a very simple teat whether or not our fields are acid and if so apply a known and dependable remedy when a farmer finds that be cannot get a good stand of thrifty clover on bla land when he sees that certain weeds such as corn and sheep borrel grow readily in his fields he could by obtaining a small quantity of blue litmus paper at his drug store easily test his own soil to find it it Is acid soil acidity Is responsible in many instances tor the failure of seed ing of alfalfa and clover growing in soils well supplied with lime these plants are able to obtain the nitrogen essential for their growth through the work of certain kinds of bacteria or germs which penetrate the smaller roots forming lumps or swellings called nodules each of these nodules Is a tiny chemical laboratory in which nitrogen gas Is built up into compounds for use by the plant |