SECTION X. SUITING THE CROP TO THE 



SOIL 



THE proportion of sand to clay or silt in the soil and 

 subsoil determines not only how much water the soil will 

 hold, but also for what crops it is best suited. It is impor- 

 tant to learn the character of the subsoil by digging down 

 below the layer usually plowed. A sandy soil with a grav- 

 elly or sandy, open subsoil may be almost worthless ; but 

 a soil which, when plowed, looks exactly like this, but is 

 underlaid by a clay or clay-loam subsoil, may be a produc- 

 tive and durable soil. In choosing a farm or a field, a 

 farmer must look below the surface. 



Best uses for sandy soils. A sandy soil is usually a 

 warm soil for the reason that sand absorbs heat rapidly. 

 Another reason is because it is well drained, there being 

 but little water left in it to be heated, thus allowing the 

 sun's heat to be used to warm the soil grains. This kind 

 of soil, therefore, is one well suited to early vegetables. 

 Peaches also thrive on sandy soils and cotton is better 

 suited to them than is corn. This is because cotton is 

 less injured than corn by a scarcity of soil moisture. A 

 sandy soil is usually not good for wheat nor for hay 

 grasses, but the finer grades of tobacco are grown on it. 

 For certain kinds of tobacco the soils of the Southern 

 states shown on soil maps as " Orangeburg fine sandy 



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