CALIFORNIA SOILS ADMIRABLE 33 



most patient gardener and we have washes of pure coarse sand on 

 which a shallow-rooting plant could hardly live with a stream of 

 water pouring over beside it. But our shifting sands of the interior 

 plains and our so-called deserts are sandy loams which yield pro- 

 fusely when properly irrigated. For the improvement of defective 

 soils for the farm-garden, suggestions will be given later. 



Soils Naturally Excellent. For field growth of vegetables in 

 California the grower is usually content to proceed upon the natural 

 texture and fertility of his soil, although during recent years the use 

 of fertilizers has notably increased. The crop is chosen to suit the 

 local soil and climate, consequently we have districts becoming 

 famous for special vegetable products as demand for them in con- 

 siderable quantities is demonstrated. In such districts the soils are 

 rather light and yet ample in richness to endure for some time the 

 drain of continuous cropping in the same line. We have areas of 

 such soils considerably in excess of their present profitable use. 

 They constitute one of our undeveloped resources and are a surety 

 of future advancement. 



A very gratifying amount of accurate knowledge of California 

 soils is to be credited to the late Dr. E. W. Hilgard, of the Univer- 

 sity of California, who gave a lifetime to advanced investigations 

 in soil physics and chemistry. It is from his publications 1 that we 

 shall condense some account of the specific character of those soils 

 which are mostly nearly related to local production of vegetables, 

 leaving out of account the heavy adobe, which is little used for 

 these crops except by gardeners who radically change its physical 

 character. 



Prevailing Character of California Soils. In his interesting 

 contrast of the soils of arid and -humid regions, Dr. Hilgard makes 

 some generalizations, which we collate to serve our present purpose. 



The character of the soils of the arid regions is predominantly 

 sandy or silty, with but a small portion of clay unless derived 

 directly or indirectly from pre-existing formations of clay or clay 

 shales. 



The idea of inherent fertility has been associated so generally 

 with sorts of a more or less clayey character, that the newcomer 

 will frequently be suspicious of the productiveness and desirability 

 of the sandy or silty soils of the arid region that experience has 

 shown to be of the highest type in both respects. 



Another point of great importance is that the difference be- 

 tween soil and subsoil, which is so striking and important in regions 

 of abundant rainfall, is largely obliterated in arid climates. Very 

 commonly hardly a perceptible change of tint or texture is found 

 for depths of several feet and material from such depths, when 

 thrown on the surface, is nearly or quite as fertile as the original 

 surface soil. In the case of a cellar dug near Nevada City, the red 



1 "Soils: Their Formation, Properties, Composition and Relations to Climate and Plant 

 Growth;" also "Agriculture for Schools of the Pacific Slope," by Hilgard and Osterhoui 

 Published by the Macmillan Co., of New York. 



