28 SOILS 



(while not given here) is probably sufficient to insure a 

 healthy influence on plant growth. The barren clay here 

 discussed is just as rich in plant food, but the soil grains 

 largely clay are so arranged that the soil is puddled; it 

 offers extreme resistance to rain in its passage through, 

 so that when plants are grown in this type of soil they 

 quickly use the water about their roots and much to 

 their hurt. 



Wise farming plans will be in the line of drainage by 

 tiles, thorough aeration by good tillage, and much organic 

 matter supplied through stable manure and the legumes. 



How soil type affects plant growth. The explana- 

 tion of this is here : soils of a sandy nature maintain less 

 moisture only 5 to 7 per cent. than those of a clay 

 nature, and they are more open, the soil grains are larger, 

 and the water resistance small. Hence, they dry out 

 more quickly after rains and become sufficiently warm 

 early in the spring and soon after rains, so that maturity 

 is hastened. 



Grass lands, on the other hand, because of the large 

 amount of small grains silt and clay, maintain from 18 

 to 20 per cent, of water, or nearly four times that of the 

 truck lands. Consequently, these soils are colder by 

 nature and therefore less active in maturing their crops. 

 A longer time is needed, and this is favorable to the heavy 

 leaf growth of grass, a thing altogether undesirable for 

 vegetable crops. 



Wheat lands, since the season of growth is long, are 

 influenced favorably by this same fact of size and ar- 

 rangement of the grains. 



It sometimes happens that seasons are extremely favor- 

 able sufficient water, warm weather in early fall and 

 spring, and good covering of snow for winter protection 

 and wheat on the very stiff lands does moderately well, 



