Chapter VI 



MAKING THE SOIL PRODUCE CROPS 



/-INHERE are many treatises available that deal 

 A with the soil, its composition and its treat- 

 ment. No attempt will be made here to go 

 exhaustively into that subject. There are a 

 few fundamental factors, however, which the 

 potential owner should know regarding soil 

 treatment, for that is the base upon which he 

 will build his income-producing operations. 



The particles of soil have had their genesis 

 in rock. The rock has become disintegrated and 

 decomposed through natural processes. The 

 action of the weather is the most important 

 factor in creating soil. Water falling on rock 

 not only wears it away mechanically, but 

 through certain mild acid elements which it 

 acquires, disintegrates the binding materials 

 that hold rock segments together. In addition, 

 there is the action of frost and freezing, too, 

 making the moisture in rock expand and 

 contract and thereby causing the breaking 

 down of the segments. With this action is 

 coupled that of hot suns which cause expansion 



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