Fig. 3. A soil separated, 



rock grains of niarv sizes. 



backwards over this last, pressing- slig-htly upon it, and tap again, until 

 no more will round up. Then look closely at the little heaps and the 

 scattered parts. The heaps first formed are made of soil fine as flour. 

 The next lot of heaps have little grains like granulated sugar. The part 

 scattered about is sand and lumps. The sand is mostly clear and white, 

 some of the 

 grains spark- 

 ling in the sun 

 like diamonds 

 The lumps, 

 perhaps, are 

 made of small- 

 er grains stuck 

 together, and 

 do not look 

 clean-cut and 

 white like the 



sand. Sand, as you well know, is nothing but small bits of rock. Now, 

 if you hold the little heaps so that the sun shines upon them, you may 

 see, if your eyes are sharp, very small rock-bits among these too. In 

 fact, a large part of all soil is rock. When you come to know geology, 

 you will learn how this rock became broken down into such small bits to 

 make soil. But for the present we are interested in knowing that the 

 soil contains rock-bits of many different sizes. 



The Soil and the Tree. " But," you say> " many 

 soils are quite dark in color, while most of this sand 

 is clear and white ; There must be something else in 

 soils besides sand grains, or it would not be so dark." 

 Quite true ; and now we shall see what this is. 



Get from the woods, under last year's leaves, some 

 black mold ; and after it has become dried, treat it as 

 you did the sample of earth. You will find much the 

 same separation as before ; but on looking closely at 

 the heaps and scattered grains of the mold, you will 

 find two important differences : First, the separate 

 grains, big and little, instead of being white as the 

 sand grains were, are all brown or black. Secondly, 

 instead of looking like rock, these, especially the 

 coarser ones, look like bits of wood. 

 Long years ago, before the white man came to Canada, even 

 before the red man hunted over these hills and plains, the 

 trees began to grow upon the soil. Year after year, as the 

 trees grew bigger they drew water and food more and more, from 

 the soil. The trees were wise, however, and knew that, al- 

 though the rain that fell might keep up the supply of water that 

 they needed, yet there was nothing to replace the food they 

 took from the soil, unless they did it themselves. So they agreed 

 to give back to the soil as much food as they took from it. 

 Every year, the maples and the oaks and the beeches dropped their leaves 





Fig. 4. Showinn' the 

 parts tliat the trees 

 have given to the soil. 



