ON FIELD AND FLOWER GARDEN 



moisture longer but do not warm up so quickly. 

 For this reason they are able to withstand drouth 

 better, but never yield as early crops as the 

 southern or western slopes. 



A clay sub-soil a foot or more below the surface 

 with a sandy surface layer is the ideal soil for 

 fruit trees. In fact, such a soil is good for most 

 any crop. If the sub-soil slopes sufficiently to 

 drain off surplus water, such a soil will always 

 produce good crops. 



CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS OF THE SOIL 



Plants secure their food from the soil through 

 minute hair-like appendages on the roots, known 

 as root hairs. The roots thus serve only as canals. 

 The root hairs collect the food. 



Because of the extremely small size of these 

 root hairs it is plainly seen that any food used by 

 the plant must be thoroughly dissolved before 

 being taken up. These root hairs are deciduous 

 like the leaves, and only active to any extent where 

 the leaves are in existence and active. All food 

 taken up by the roots is secured in solution and 

 this makes it necessary to keep the soil properly 

 supplied with moisture. 



The presence of the proper chemical elements 

 and moisture, however, is not the only thing that 

 is needed for the root hairs to do their work well. 

 Air must be present in the soil or it will be impos- 



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