Albert did this and the boys watched interestedly to see the effect.  “Back again,” sang out Jack as the red litmus changed to blue.

“Now from this you see a way to overcome the acid conditions of Albert’s piece of land, if it proves to be acid.”

“I see,” said Jack, “lime it.”

“Exactly!  Now see, Albert, if the paper has changed colour.”

“My, I should say it had!” and Albert held up the piece of litmus paper, now quite red from its contact with the soil.

“Well, Albert, it is pretty plain to see what you have to do.  Did you find out the amount of lime to use?”

“In the book I read it said for clay soils 400-2000 pounds per acre.”

“I should say,” said The Chief, “for that special piece of land use about 20 bushels to the acre.”

“How many pounds of lime,” asked Jack, “to the bushel?”

“I can answer,” grandly went on Albert, “there are 70 pounds to the bushel.  So that makes 1400 pounds.”

“Quite a proposition!” said Jay.

“Yes, but your land is only a half acre and so that changes matters a little.  How much is lime a bushel, Jack?  Ask your father, will you?”

“I think,” said The Chief, “that we’ll have to lay a drain pipe through your land.  Anyway I shall come around in early spring and have a look at it.”

“Now Peter, we’ll hear from you,” Jay announced.

“My work was to find out how long it took different kinds of seeds to germinate, that is sprout.  I took a dozen each of different seeds, put blotters in dishes, wet the blotters, and placed the seeds on these.  I kept them in a warm place in the dining room.  I have made each of you fellows a copy of the table.”

PETER’S GERMINATING TABLE

Beans 5-10 days.  Onion 7-10 days. 
Beets 7-10 " Peas 6-10 "
Cabbage 5-10 " Pepper 9-14 "
Carrot 12-18 " Radish 3-6 "
Celery 10-20 " Tomato 6-12 "
Lettuce 6-8 " Turnip 4-8 "

“I’d like to know what use a germinating table is, anyway?” asked Albert scornfully.

“Well,” Peter replied thoughtfully, “it gives you an exact knowledge of the time to expect your seedlings to poke up.  Now suppose radish came up in four days.  The carrot you had planted didn’t come up and after twelve days, discouraged, you plant more seed.  Now two days later the first carrots you sowed begin to appear.  If you had known that it took carrots from 12 to 18 days to germinate you’d not have made the mistake of planting again so soon.  I think of another reason,” went on Peter warming up to his subject.  “Suppose you planted beet seed.  You waited ten days; nothing happened; you wait two more and still no seedling appears; something is surely wrong and you plant over again.”

“What could be wrong,” asked Philip.