SOILS 85 



to be cold, because it holds so much water instead 

 of allowing it to pass through easily. Because clay 

 soils are sticky and hard to work, we call them 

 heavy. 



Crops for Clay Soils. Clay soils are excellent for 

 pastures, and they wear well. Apples, pears, and 

 grapes do well on them. They also produce good 

 crops of hay, wheat, oats, beets, cabbages, and tur- 

 nips. But clay soils are too cold and wet for corn 

 and too hard to allow potatoes to grow freely. 



Loam. A soil that is composed of clay, sand and 

 decomposed organic matter is called loam. If there 

 is more clay than sand, it is called a clay loam; if 

 there is more sand, it is a sandy loam. The presence 

 of decomposed organic matter gives it fertility. This 

 is the best farm soil, for loam makes a good home 

 for plant roots. It is easy to cultivate, and because 

 it allows moisture to pass through it readily, no time 

 is lost after rains in waiting for it to dry out. 



What the Soil Contains. We know that all soil 

 is made up of fine particles of rock or sand, of 

 decayed plants, of water, and of insect life. It also 

 contains air and another plant life, which, perhaps, 

 we do not know about, because we cannot see it. 

 They are so small it would take many thousands 

 of thom to measure an inch. This low, tiny plant 

 life we call bacteria. They are very useful in 

 changing the soil so as to make it ready for plant 

 food. Bacteria must have air to live, and that is 

 one reason we must have air in the soil. 



