KINDS OF SOILS. 59 



compares with the results we obtained with pure sand 

 and with pure clay. For instance, wet some of the 

 soil, and roll it up into a lump, and roast it in the fire, 

 directly on the coals. Does it turn hard like a stone, 

 or break up into black ashes ? Put some in a bottle 

 of water, and shake it, and see if it settles quickly, or 

 whether the water remains muddy a long time after 

 the bottle is at rest. Notice, when the sediment has 

 settled, if there is more than one layer of sand or mud 

 at the bottom of the water. Try every experiment 

 carefully, and note the results. Afterwards try a sam- 

 ple of the subsoil from the same place. Begin each 

 series of experiments by burning some of the soil over 

 the fire, to find out the proportion of organic matter, 

 and then use the ashes to repeat the experiments with 

 the bottle of water. 



Besides these classes of soils, the sandy soils and 

 clay soils, loams, sandy loams and clay loams, 

 there are other classes into which soils are sometimes 

 divided. These other classes have reference to the 

 amount of organic matter in the soil. A soil contain- 

 ing a large proportion of peat or decayed vegetable- 

 matter left under water, as in bogs and marshes, is 

 called a peaty soil. It is easily recognized by its black 

 and dark-brown color and by burning. A dry peaty 

 soil placed on a red-hot shovel gives off much smoke, 

 and burns slowly away, leaving a small proportion of 

 ashes behind. The dark, soft soil found under trees 

 in old woods, or on the surface of old kitchen-gardens, 

 is likewise largely composed of organic matter, and is 



