SAND. 527 



Loam seems to be naturally formed for the pTirposes of fertility ; the 

 pure earths are in themselyes almost entirely barren ; sands receive and 

 discharge moisture much too quickly ; clays retain it too long in their 

 own substance, refuse it when wanted, and starve the roots of plants in 

 a cold impervious mass ; chalk has the same mechanical quality, and 

 contains very little organic or soluble matter. Sand and clay alone 

 would not make a rich soil, but a portion of calcareous matter and of 

 humus being added, the mass is rendered open and porous, and the clay 

 and sand are prevented from forming a mortar which hardens too 

 rapidly, and prevents the influence of the air from reaching the roots. 

 The invaluable quality of loams is that their texture allows the due 

 circulation of air and moisture. Moist climates require a greater 

 portion of sand to make a fertUe loam, but less in proportion as humus 

 abounds. All fertile soils contain some portion of calcareous earth. 

 The climate of England reqTiires one-half of the soil to be sand, one- 

 third clay, and the rest chalk, to form a good loam, and rather light 

 than heavy. Loams require less tillage than stiffer soils, and will bear 

 more stirrings to clean them than sands — the produce is always certain 

 and abundant. Every kind of manure can exert the proper action in 

 loams, as they find a variety of substances on which to apply their 

 influence. 



The constituent parts of a good loam being correctly ascertained, and 

 the deficiencies of inferior soils being also learned, it only remains to 

 supply the wants iu the latter as they appear from a comparison with 

 the former. If clay be in excess, chalk and sand may be added ; and 

 a portion of the clay may be burned, in order to destroy the attraction 

 for water, and thus act the part of sand in helping to form the loam. 

 Limestone, gravel, and sand are also useful for this purpose, as they 

 equally correct too great porosity, or too much tenacity. If there be 

 too much sand in any loam, clay and chalk will be the remedy ; and 

 though the utmost art of man is able to effect "only" a mechanical 

 mixture in place of the chemical combination of the substances that are 

 sought to be amalgamated, yet the repeated stirrings which the land 

 undergoes in the process of time doubtless tend to the most perfect 

 blending of the matters to be assimilated. — J. D. in O. Chron, 1849, 

 p. 628. 



Sand consists of minute fragments of flint, or silica. It is 

 white when pure, and is then called silver- sand, but is usually 

 red or brown in consequence of the presence of iron. It has 

 no power of cohesion, and therefore allows water tb pass 

 through it freely. In its natural state it is usually mixed with 

 some portion of clay. It is more or less soluble in water 

 holding alkaline matter or carbonic acid in solution ; and 



