> > > 



THE SOIL 



INTRODUCTORY 



In the Scientific Study of Soils, Chemical, Physical, and 

 Biological Considerations are involved. 



The whole business of agriculture is founded upon the 

 soil; for the soil the farmer pays rent, and upon his 

 skill in making use of its inherent capacities depends 

 the return he gets for his crops. Taking rent as a 

 rough measure of the productive value of land, it is 

 clear that enormous differences must exist in the nature 

 of the soil, for in the same district some land may be 

 rented at £2, and other land at as little as 5s. per acre. 

 Of course rent is not wholly determined by the nature 

 of the soil, but depends also on the proximity of a 

 market, and the adaptability of the land to special 

 purposes ; a light sandy or gravelly soil, almost worth- 

 less for general agricultural purposes, may be valuable 

 in the neighbourhood of a large town, because its earli- 

 ness and responsiveness to manure make it specially 

 suitable for market gardening. 



In some cases the difference between soils is seen 

 in the quality of the crop produced rather than in the 

 productiveness ; for example, the " red lands "of Dunbar 

 are famous for the high quality of the potatoes 

 grown upon them : such potatoes will sell at 80s. to 90s. 

 1 A 



