CROP PRODUCTION 59 



How soil affects the choice of crops. Crops must also be 

 suited to the soil of a particular region. This is next in im- 

 portance to their selection according to climate. A region 

 may have the right climate for a certain crop, but the soil 

 in many places may not be adapted to this crop, or the re- 

 verse may be true. For example, rainfall and temperature 

 may be favorable for potato-growing, but if the soil is too 

 heavy, the results will not be satisfactory. It follows, then, 

 that in choosing crops to be produced on a farm, two things 

 must be considered: one, the soil requirements of each crop; 

 the other, the nature of the soil on the farm. The soil re- 

 quirements of our staple crops will be considered later when 

 each crop is discussed. 



The chief characteristics of the four great soil classes 

 (sandy, clay, sandy loam, and clay loam) have already been 

 sufficiently described. Attention has also been called to the 

 work of the U. S. Bureau of Soils and of the State Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Stations, as sources of further infor- 

 mation in regard to soil distribution. Soil maps of a number 

 of counties in each state have been prepared. When available, 

 these maps are valuable for the study of the agricultural 

 possibilities of these regions. Such a map may locate for the 

 fanner the different kinds of soil on his farm, thus aiding 

 him in making a selection of crops and in managing the soil 

 to secure larger production. 



The application of these facts to crop selection is: First, 

 to learn in general the kind of soil best suited to each crop; 

 second, to make sure that the particular soil which is to be 

 used meets the needs of the crop desired. It may be when 

 these two things are considered that the crop intended will 

 not fit into the soil conditions. In such cases more favorable 

 crops must be selected. It often happens that a change 



