FODDER IN INDIA. 5 



Taking into consideration the many kinds of soils with 

 their varying constituents, qualities, and 

 special aptitude for raising particular Qrass^cumvation" 

 crops, also the vast variety between soils 

 of one district and another all bearing definite local names, 

 it would be not over-wise perhaps to lay down as a hard and 

 fast rule any particular soil as the best for grass cultivation, 

 specially when, as is so often the case, you have to take what 

 you can get, although it may be remembered that you can, 

 with time, convert one classification of soil to another, or in 

 other words make your own soil. However, in the opinion 

 of the writer, for grass cultivation the soil to be desired is 

 a clayey loam (dorassa), and for the following reasons : — 

 Clay has a most retentive power of moisture, and will retain 

 and furnish the roots with water in times of severe dry 

 weather, even drought ; a clayey loam will retain applica- 

 tions of plant food (manure) far much longer than a coarser 

 soil ; moisture and manure what more do you ask for grow- 

 ing grass. Not always being free to choose you must make 

 the most of what you have got, and the writer does not imply 

 for a moment that grass will only grow on a clayey loam, far 

 from it. For a perfect soil many elements are necessary, and 



for satisfactory results the following are 



^. , .. I. I, • „„u Essentials of a Good 



essential : nitrogen, phosphoric acfd, g^^^j 



potash ; and because plant roots are un- 

 able to absorb their food except in solution there must be 

 sufficient moisture to dissolve these elements but not 

 excessive moisture, otherwise all the air will be driven out of 

 the soil with a consequent loss of oxygen which, it seem 

 unnecessary almost to write it, is necessary to all forms of 

 animal and plant life (possibly with a few rare exceptions). 

 If you are faced with a ' Sandy Soil ' or ' Clay Soil ' on which 



to cultivate grass don't waste any time 



^ • .i_- , I- ,. 11 J. „u » Treatment of Sand 



trying anything else, but "trench oroiay. 



with bazaar or city rubbish or, if there are 



no objections on sanitary grounds, night-soil. It is not 



considered that there is any advantage, for our purpose, in 



