25 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



tant trucking regions of the United States contain con- 

 siderable sand. The advantages of sand in soils for vege- 

 tables may be enumerated as follows: (i) The land 

 warms up earlier in the spring and maintains a higher 

 temperature than heavy soils do; (2) fertilizers act more 

 quickly; (3) tillage may begin earlier in the spring and 

 continue later in the fall; (4) tillage is less expensive; 

 (5) tillage may begin sooner after rains; (6) transplant- 

 ing is facilitated; (7) the harvesting of many crops is 

 facilitated; (8) soils do not become so hard and compact 

 when harvesting crops, especially when the ground is 

 wet; (9) sand lends itself to irrigation because the water 

 is quickly absorbed; (10) the root crops are smoother, 

 better formed and have fewer fibrous roots ; (11) many crops 

 require less work in cleaning and preparing for market. 



61. Water content. — Other things being equal, the 

 smaller the particles the greater is the absorptive power 

 of the soil. Silty soils suffer less from drouth than sandy 

 soils; hence it is more important to be prepared to irri- 

 gate the sandy types. The production of large crops of 

 high quality requires a constant and abundant supply of 

 moisture, and the ability to meet the needs of the grow- 

 ing crop determines the value of a soil to a great extent 

 for trucking purposes. A well drained subsoil is im- 

 portant, and yet it should have strong capillary action. 

 The depth of the water table is an important factor in 

 relation to soil moisture. In small areas of trucking soils 

 it is within a few feet of the surface and such soils are 

 highly valued for gardening purposes. 



62. Drainage. — Good drainage is essential to every 

 garden crop. Some vegetables stand wet soils better than 

 others, but no crop thrives in a water-logged soil. Good 

 drainage is especially important for early truck, hence 

 the value of the coarser sands to supply early markets. 

 Artificial drainage is a profitable investment on many 

 soils devoted to commercial gardening. 



