64 FARM DEVELOPMENT 



and soil bacteria do not find in them favorable condi- 

 tions for development. They stand more abuse under 

 a poor system of farming than do soils of more open 

 texture. 



Light, sandy, gravelly or chalky soils are extreme in 

 the opposite direction; being too porous, they dry out 

 very readily. Most of these soils are not permanently 

 productive unless treated very wisely. The air cir- 

 culates in them readily, they are warm, their small 

 amounts of organic substances rapidly decay and the 

 waters of rains percolating down through them carry 

 out a large proportion of the resulting soluble 

 substances. They are sometimes called " hungry " 

 soils. Barnyard or other vegetable manures decompose 

 rapidly in these open soils and thus become quickly 

 available for plants to use. These soils are also called 

 warm, or quick, soils. They are ready for crops .early 

 in the spring, and, because the plant food is in an avail- 

 able condition, crops start quickly and usually grow 

 rapidly in the first part of the season. They are also 

 called drouthy soils, as they allow the larger portion of 

 rain falling on them at once to percolate downward, 

 retaining by their capillary forces only a small part. 

 Their pores being so large, they do not readily bring up 

 water from below by capillary action. On account of 

 this porosity the air circulates in them freely in a dry 

 time. Their total content of water is relatively small, 

 and plants exhaust it rapidly. They dry out so rapidly 

 that they often do not contain enough water for the roots 

 of plants. In countries of ample rainfall, or where it is 

 practicable to irrigate, and where barnyard manure or 

 other complete fertilizers are easily procured, light soils 

 often have an especially high value for raising vegetables, 

 particularly early ones. But, as a rule, light lands are 

 not very profitable for general farming, and the lighter 

 they are the less profitable, especially in districts subject 



