30 The Garden, 



11. 



SOILS AND MANURES. 



The soil should be good to the depth of two feet, and any necessary deepening beyond this, 

 by manures or otherwise, should not be neglected.— iVetH. 



L— CLASSIFICATION OF SOILS. 



E are accustomed to recognize three prim- 

 itive earths — silex (which includes sand 

 and gravel), claj, and lime. These, to- 

 gether with decayed vegetable and animal 

 matter, enter more or less into the compo- 

 sition of all soils. On the relative propor- 

 tion of these ingredients and their texture, or degree 

 of fineness or coarseness, depends mainly the character 

 of each variety. 



Soils may first be considered in two grand divisions 

 — heavy and light, the former being characterized by 

 a predominance of clay, and the latter by an excess of sand or 

 gravel. 



1. Heavy Soils. — The heavy or clayey soils are also known 

 as wet and cold, from their strong affinity for water. In dry 

 weather, however, they are liable to bake, or become hard and 

 brick-like. They are difficult to work, and, till much modified 

 by art and labor, generally unproductive. 



2. LigTit Soils. — The light or sandy and gravelly soils are 

 denominated dry and warm, because they permit the water to 

 pass readily through them. They are subject to drouth, and 

 have the further disadvantage of allowing a large proportion 

 of the manure applied to them to pass through into the sub- 

 soil. They are easy to work, and crops can be brought to per- 

 fection much earlier on them than on clayey soils. 



