The Soil of the Garden 



57 



International Harvester Co. 



FIG. 36. Soil that was not cultivated at the proper time and consequently be- 

 came "baked" by the hot sun. The good gardener never allows his soil to get 

 into this condition. 



particles. In an ounce of the finest clay there are more 

 than five times as many. 



The size of the particles of organic matter in soil 

 varies with the stage of decay. Leaf mold (formed from 

 decaying leaves) and peat (accumulations of plant re- 

 mains, usually in swamps where decay is very slow) 

 contain many somewhat coarse fragments of leaves and 

 twigs. Well-decayed humus is exceedingly fine, and it 

 dissolves or becomes somewhat jelly-like when soaked in 

 water. 



Soil particles are usually grouped together. If they 

 are separate and free to move about one another, the 

 soil is loose. But it is seldom, except in the coarsest 

 sand, that the individual particles are entirely separate. 

 In most soils they stick together in groups, forming 

 granules of various sizes. When the granules are large^ 



