LIVESTOCK ON THE FARM 



CHAPTER I 



GRAIN FARMING 



A grain farmer is one whose interest centers in the produc- 

 tion and marketing of some kind, or kinds, of grain. He 

 converts the plant food of the soil into corn, wheat, oats, bar- 

 ley, flax, or some other grain and removes it from the farm. 

 His soil each year is made poorer by the amount of plant food 

 he sells. 



SOIL 



Soil originated from the breaking down of the various kinds 

 of rock on the surface of the earth. The rocks were produced 

 at the time the earth was formed. The agencies or forces by 

 which rocks are reduced or ground up to make soil are water, 

 air, wind, freezing, thawing, etc. 



Action of Water on Soil Making. — Water reduces rock to 

 soil particles by friction and by its power as a solvent. When 

 water runs over a rock surface it wears the rock down either 

 by the friction of the water itself or by the friction of different 

 pieces of rock. As a solvent water acts just as it does on 

 sugar or salt. This action is, however, quite slow. But when 

 water is charged with acid or alkali, as it sometimes is, the 

 process of dissolution is materially hastened. 



Air in Soil Formation. — Air contains carbonic acid and this 

 has a solvent action on the rock particles with which it comes 

 into contact. When the air is in motion in the form of wind 

 it also causes friction upon the rock and soil particles just as 

 water does. Thus, water and wind work in much the same 

 way in reducing rock to soil particles and in reducing coarser 

 particles to finer ones. 



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