VI. J HE A VY AND LIGHT SOILS 119 



worked after rain, its aspect and situation, develops 

 certain disadvantages later in the season. It is apt to 

 dry out with even a short drought ; it often reduces the 

 yield of ordinary crops by thus checking the growth at 

 critical stages, even if the crop is not forced to ripen off 

 too early. Such soils, again, often give rise to very rapid 

 growth in the autumn after the rains ; this growth, how- 

 ever, is often soft and stands very badly in a severe winter. 

 A heavy soil which is late to warm up, for the same 

 reason often holds its temperature until well on into 

 the autumn ; and crops growing upon such heavy soils 

 will continue their development far into the winter. 

 On them the whole course of development is slower 

 and more uniform, and this results in subtle differences 

 in quality between the produce of heavy and light soils, 

 which in the present state of our knowledge can be 

 better appreciated by experience than explained by 

 science. 



