“But I have heard that magnesian lime is bad for soils,” said Mr. Thornton.

“That is true,” Percy replied, “and so is ordinary lime bad for soils.  The Germans say:  ’Lime makes the fathers rich but the children poor.’  The English saying is: 

’Lime and lime without manure
Will make both farm and farmer poor.’

“Both of these national proverbs are correct for common, every-day lime; but you know, do you not, that limestone soils are usually very good and very durable soils?”

“That’s what I’ve always heard,” replied Mr. Thornton.

“Well, there is no danger whatever from using too much limestone; and all the information thus far secured shows that magnesian limestone is even better than the pure calcium limestone.  I know two Illinois farmers who are using large quantities of ground magnesian limestone, and one of them has applied as much as twenty tons per acre.  On that land his corn crop was good for eighty bushels per acre this year.  Of course that heavy application was more than was needed, but initial applications of four or five tons are very satisfactory, and these should be followed by about two tons per acre every four to six years.”

Mr. Thornton took his guest to Blairville that evening as they had planned and he assured Percy that should he decide to purchase land in that section they would let him have three hundred acres of their land at ten dollars an acre.

“I will let you know after I get the samples analyzed for you,” said Percy.  “The price is low enough and the location ideal, but still I want to have the invoice before I buy the goods.  I will write you about sending the samples to the chemist after I hear from some I sent him from Montplain.”

CHAPTER XIX

FROM RICHMOND TO WASHINGTON

The next day Percy spent a few hours at the State Capitol in Richmond, where he found the records of the State of much interest.

Thus he found that in practically every county there was more or less land owned by the commonwealth, because of its complete abandonment by former owners, and the failure of any one to buy when sold by the state for taxes.

Under such conditions the title to the land returns to the State, and after two years it may be sold by the State to any one desiring to purchase and the former owner has no further right of redemption.  Some of these lands which are owned by the State, and on which the State has received no taxes for many years, are still occupied by their former owners or by “squatters"’ and may continue to be so occupied unless the land should be purchased from the State by some one else who would demand full possession.  Such purchasers, however, are likely to be unpopular residents in the community, if the transaction forces poor people from a place they have called home, even though they had no legal right to occupy it.