Agriculture 



327 



Out of rocks, sunshine and moisture (water) come all our 

 agricultural resources. Sunshine we cannot control; water can 

 be controlled only within certain limits. The soil is as the Lord 

 made it. Since all plants do not thrive on all soils, it is impor- 

 tant to know something of the nature of the soil before under- 

 taking the growing of any particular crop on that soil. Many 

 a heartache and bitter disappointment have come to honest in- 

 vestors who, because they did not know the nature of soils, and 

 maybe listened to the promotion arguments of a not too scrupu- 

 lous sales agent, undertook to raise some kind of fruit on a soil 

 and under sunshine and moisture conditions where this par- 

 ticular fruit was not at home. 



Courtesy U. S. Bureau of Soils 

 FIG. 99. Onion field, on the fine sandy loam of the Coachella Valley. 



It is true that low prices on the world's markets may become 

 such as to make the growing of a particular crop unprofitable, 

 but that does not explain or excuse loss from planting orange, 

 peach, plum, or apple trees on land not suited to those crops, 

 or grapes on land where, under given sunshine and moisture 

 conditions, vineyards could not be made to thrive. Why are 



