128 BINDING effect; OF KOOTS. 



the whole of his estate to a depth of from ten to 

 twelve inches. The first year his crops were very 

 light, compared with those about him ; but still he 

 persisted in frequent and deep cultivation. Six 

 years after, his crops were more than double ; he 

 possessed a firmer soil than any other farmer in the 

 neighborhood, and that to a depth of from ten to 

 thirteen inches, where formerly existed but two. 

 Not only was its fertility increased, but its capacity 

 for sustaining drought was placed beyond dispute. 



Light soils both absorb and part with heat readily. 

 By pulverization they become so much more com- 

 pact that their capacity for the retention of heat 

 and moisture is increased. Prof Stockhardt thus 

 illustrates the binding effect of the roots of vegeta- 

 tion upon light lands. 



" The first and principal condition of productive- 

 ness in a soil is a crumbling, soft consistency, and 

 this must not be lost through tlie operations of 

 tillage. The German farmer terms this condition, 

 which is especially favorable to growth, ' gahu ' 

 (mellow). Whether this name be derived from gar, 

 which means completelij, well, or from gahren (to 

 ferment), it is in either case expressive, but especi- 

 ally in the latter, since it is beyond doubt that 

 those processes of decomposition taking place in 

 the soil, which may be very properly regarded as a 

 kind of fermentation, contribute essentially toward 

 bringing it into this condition. What this is, and 



