46 THE FIRST BOOK OF FARMING 



the sand and the humus checking the baking. This 

 teaches us that it is not a good plan to work soils 

 when they are wet if they are stiff and sticky ; and 

 that our stiff clay soils can be kept from drying 

 hard or baking by the use of organic matter. " And 

 that's a witness " for organic matter. 



The relation of the soil to moisture is very im- 

 portant, for moisture is one of the greatest factors if 

 not the greatest in the growth of the crop. 



The power to absorb or soak up moisture from 

 any source is greatest in those soils whose particles 

 are smaller and fit closer together. 



It is for this reason that strong loams and clay 

 soils absorb and hold three times as much water 

 as sandy soils do, while peaty or humus soils ab- 

 sorb a still larger proportion. 



The reason why crops burn up so quickly on 

 sandy soils during dry seasons is because of their 

 weak power to hold water. 



The clay and humus soils carry crops through 

 dry weather better because of their power to hold 

 moisture and to absorb or soak up moisture from 

 below. It is for this reason also that clay and peaty 

 soils more often need draining than sandy soils. 



When rain falls on a sandy soil it enters readily, 

 but it is apt to pass rapidly down and be, to a great 

 extent, lost in the subsoil, for the sand has not 

 sufficient power to hold much of it. 



When rain falls on a clay soil it enters less read- 

 ily because of the closeness of the particles, and 

 during long rains or heavy showers some of the 



