KINDS OF SOILS. 57 



pure clay would not, however, make a loam. There 

 must, in all good soils, be some organic matter. 



4. A Sandy Loam. This is a mixture of sand and 

 clay, but with more sand than clay. 



5. A Clay Loam. This is a mixture in which 

 there is more clay than sand. 



6. A Strong Clay. This is a clay soil containing 

 from five to twenty per cent of sand and organic 

 matter. 



The strong clay and the loamy soils, with more or less 

 of sand or clay, are all good soils, and each will make 

 a good home for our useful plants. Some are better 

 for certain plants than others, yet nearly every plant 

 will thrive in both. The loamy soils are regarded as 

 the best, and a sandy loam is generally regarded as the 

 best of all. 



It is plain, we must next have some guide to enable 

 us to decide whether any particular field or garden 

 has a soil belonging to either one of these' classes. 

 Our only guides must be observation and experi- 

 ment. 



First, of the surface indications. What is the color ? 

 Sand is usually gray, or of some light shade of yellow 

 or red. Clay is often of many colors, blue, black, red, 

 and yellow ; and is commonly in dark shades of these 

 colors. There are, however, clays to be found that 

 are gray and even white. This makes the color a 

 rather unsafe guide in deciding upon the character of 

 any soil. We can therefore only use the color as a 

 help in making other observations. 



