Observe the flat lands about lakes. These flats are formed by 

 the deposition of material from the surrounding highlands ; but 

 they are often exposed before their natural time by the lowering 

 of the water level in the lake. All lakes and ponds are fllling up. 

 Nearly every stream makes a delta at its mouth ; but if the stream 

 into which it empties is swift, the delta may be carried away. 



Observe also, the broad rounded hillocks and knolls in valleys 

 and ravines.- Many of them have attained their present form 

 from the action of moving water. 



Every farmer knows that overflowed lands are rich. He has 

 heard of the wonderful fertility of the Nile. He should explain 

 these facts. 



5. All productive soils also coyitain org;anic 7?ia lie?'. —-Organic 

 matter is the remains of plants and animals. As found in soils 

 in a decaying condition, it is called humus. It is the humus 

 which gives the soil its dark or ' ' rich ' ' look. It also tends to make 

 soils loose, warm and mellow. It holds moisture. The addition 

 of humus makes eoils loamy. A sandy loam is a soil of which 

 the original mineral matter is sand, and a clayey loam is one of 

 which the bavSis is clay. Soils which have no humus are hard, 

 "dead " and unproductive. 



6. Humus' is supplied by means of roots and stubble, green-crops 

 and barn manures. — If the farmer practices a rotation of which 

 meadow and pasture are a part, the supply of humus will be 

 maintained. In such cases, green-manuring is unnecessary 

 except now and then upon lands which are very hard or poor. 

 The roots and stubble, with the droppings of the animals on the 

 pasture, and manure applied with one of the crops in the rota- 

 tion, keep the land well supplied with vegetable matter. When- 

 ever possible, it is better to feed the crop to stock and return the 

 manure to the land, than to plow the crop under ; for one will 

 get back the greater part of the fertilizing value of the crops and 

 maintain the animal at the same time. In western New York, 

 there are hundreds of acres of refuse lands, and at this day 

 there are thousands of tons of herbage on the ground, and no 

 stock to eat it. It is wasteful. 



Many soils which are said to be worn out are robbed of their 

 humus rather than of their plant-food ; others have been injured 



