TYPES OF SOIL 35 



1. Arid 



Classes with reference to moisture <! 2. Semiarid 



3. Humid 



Sandy Soils. A sandy soil contains over 70 per cent of sand. 

 Such soils are easy to work but are poor in plant food. They ab- 

 sorb and retain but little moisture. Quick-growing crops are best 

 adapted to this kind of soil. 



Clay Soils. Soils which contain over 50 per cent of clay are 

 called clay soils, and may be easily recognized by their sticky 

 character. Such soils are cold and hard to work and suffer from 

 extremes in both wet and dry weather. Cereals and grasses are 

 best adapted to this kind of soil. 



Loamy Soils. Soils which consist of a mixture of sand and clay 

 are called loams. They may be classified as follows: (1) sandy 

 loams, containing from 10 to 20 per cent of clay; (2) ordinary 

 loam, containing from 20 to 30 per cent of clay; (3) clay loam, con- 

 taining from 30 to 50 per cent of clay; (4) limestone loam, contain- 

 ing from 20 to 40 per cent of clay. Loams are suitable for 

 nearly all farming purposes. This kind of soil is frequently 

 found in the great black prairie belts in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, 

 Kansas, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and in some of the eastern 

 portions of Oklahoma. 



Limestone Soils. Calcareous or limestone soils are those which 

 contain 20 per cent or more of lime. Such soils crumble readily 

 and are easy to cultivate. 



Vegetable or Swamp Soils. Such soils consist almost entirely 

 of vegetable matter more or less decayed and are usually found in 

 lowlands or low places. The best examples of this soil are found 

 in the Great Dismal Swamp of Virginia and North Carolina and 

 the Everglades of Florida. When well drained and properly 

 treated, such soils are very productive. 



Buckshot Soil. Some limestone lands in Texas, Oklahoma, and 

 other States contain so much lime that the soil is very sticky and 

 gummy when wet, but it readily crumbles into small particles or 

 pellets when dry. For this reason it is often called gumbo or 

 buckshot land. In the northeastern part of Oklahoma patches of 

 this kind of soil are sometimes encountered, while in Texas it is 



