CHAPTER XXIV. 

 SOILS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT. 



What Soil Consists of : Let me take my reader into the 

 garden for a moment to get a sample of soil, and having 

 got this let us go into the potting shed and examine it. 

 Of what does it consist ? 



First of all we may pick out the stones and say that it 

 consists of stones and earth. Yes, but for our purpose we 

 want to know a little more about it than that. 



Let us examine the earth after we have picked out the 

 stones. If it is an average sample of garden soil, we shall 

 see that it consists of particles of sand, of clay, and. of a 

 peculiar black substance. This last is known as humus, 

 and on account of its great importance is dealt with at 

 greater length in Chapters XXV and XXVII. 



Next, if we put a table-spoonful of the soil into a jar 

 and shake it up with water, we can separate the sand ; it 

 is left at the bottom of the j ar and can be washed clean and 

 examined. If, however, we dry some of the soil and 

 heat it well above the boiling point of water (212 F.) 

 most of the peculiar matter called humus will disappear, 

 and we shall have a soil containing mineral matter only. 

 So we say that a good garden soil contains mineral matter 

 (including sand and clay) and humus. 



Now, let us pour cold water on to this mineral matter 

 when it has cooled down. The water must not be hot, for 

 we do not water our plants with hot water. 



Stir the mineral matter well up in the water several 

 times, and the larger the quantity the better. Then allow 

 the sediment to settle completely and pour off the water 



193 O 



