THE SOIL THE HOME OF THE PLANTS. 4! 



could not anchor themselves, and were blown away by 

 the wind. 



Look about your home, and see if there are any soils 

 near that are composed largely of remains of plants, 

 or organic matter. Make full notes of the place, its 

 color and general character. Observe it just after a 

 rain, and see if it is wet like a sponge. Nearly all our 

 useful plants object to wet feet, and refuse to live in 

 these organic soils because they are so full of water. 



On Cape Cod in Massachusetts, there are many 

 bogs and low places, filled with a mass of dead vege- 

 table-matter that forms a black soil almost wholly or- 

 ganic in character. In such places the cranberry-vine 

 will grow finely, provided the soil is artificially prepared 

 for it. To do this, the farmers cart clear sand into the 

 bogs, and spread it over the damp, peaty mass of dead 

 plants. On this mixture of organic and inorganic 

 materials, the cranberry flourishes wonderfully. It is 

 not blown away by the wind, nor does it wilt for want 

 of water, or perish from too much water. Such arti- 

 ficial soils show just how the mixture of organic and 

 inorganic matter in certain proportions must be found 

 in all good soils. 



Suppose, when you are walking about making your 

 notes upon the soils near your home, you found a 

 field composed almost wholly of an inorganic sand. 

 Suppose in another place you found a black, boggy 

 meadow, with only organic peat for a soil. Neither 

 of these places is fit for useful plants, and yet each 

 contains just what the plants need : each place has 



