THE SOIL 



83 



sirable for truck-growers, because they are so difficult 

 to work. For any crop that requires so much labor, one 

 should have a soil that is easy to work. 



Sandy soils and other w r ell-drained soils are not only 

 easier to till, but the number of days on which they can 

 be worked is much greater. Such soils can be tilled early 

 in the spring and can be tilled quickly after rains. If one 

 has a clay soil, he must spend much more time waiting 

 for it to dry out. Hence, he cannot farm so large an area. 

 For many kinds of farming, the ease with which soil may 

 be tilled is of more importance than its fertility. 



84. The Best Soils. The great advantages of clay soils 

 are that they usually retain their fertility well, and will 

 produce good grass. For 



general farm purposes, 

 the medium- textured 

 soils, sandy loams, loams 

 and silt loams, are to 

 be preferred. They are 

 fairly easy to work and 

 are adapted to a wide 

 range of crops. For per- 

 manent pastures and 

 meadows, the clay soils 

 are usually preferable. 



85. Flocculation. 

 When a silt or clay soil 

 is. in good condition, 



many of the particles are united into compound par- 

 ticles. Such a soil is flocculated. Good management of 

 such a soil consists very largely in maintaining this 



FIG. 43. A clay loam soil as it appeared 

 in the spring after having been worked too 

 fine in the fall. Same soil as Fig. 42. 



