SIMPLE SOIL TEST. 57 



The larger the proportion of clay in any soil, the 

 more tenacious, the stiifer and closer, but also the 

 lighter in weight it is. One cubic foot of strong, 

 clay loam, for instance, weighs eighty to ninety 

 pounds, while one cubic foot of sandy soil weighs 

 110 pounds. The same bulk of peat or muck, how- 

 ever, weighs only from thirty to fifty pounds. 



Even the most superficial examination will show 

 to the intelligent farmer whether a given soil be- 

 longs to the class of sandy, clayey, or mucky soils. 

 Still, the finer distinctions may become a matter 

 of doubt or dispute. The difference between sandy 

 loam, ordinary loam, and clay loam, are not always 

 readily recognized by outward appearances. It is 

 not, however, a diflBicult task, even for the novice in 

 such matters, to determine, by simple tests, the 

 percentage of the principal substances contained in 

 any given soil; at least, near enough for all practi- 

 cal purposes, and thus be enabled to correctly tell 

 the class to which that particular soil belongs. 



I will tell how I made a soil analysis of this kind 



a short time ago. The soil to be examined was 



what I supposed to be a clay loam, well provided 



with humus (organic matter). I happened to have 



a pair of sensitive laboratory scales on 



Soi?TM * liand, but my supply of weights being 



limited to an aggregate of about 250 



grains, I was compelled to take two grains as weight 



unit, although for the sake of greater accuracy, I 



would have preferred a unit of ten grains. 



At first I weighed off 200 grains of the soil, 

 freshly taken up, moist but crumbly, and spread 

 this thinly on a sheet of paper, placing this upon 

 the grate of a hot oven for an hour or more. When 

 thoroughly dried, it was then^ggi^weighed, and 



