May, 1909.] 4 



Q. 9. What is one reason why we 

 cultivate the soil ? 



A. One reason why we cultivate the 

 soil is so that air, water, and the roots 

 of plants can pass through it readily and 

 thus make available large quantities of 

 plant food. 



Q. 10. Why are the soils in forests 

 fertile or rich ? 



A. In the forests none of the plant 

 food is taken away. When the trees and 

 plants die and decay, the plant food goes 

 back to the soil. 



Q. 11. Why do the fields in which we 

 grow crops become "poor"? 



A. In cultivated fields the crops are 

 grown and taken away. In doing this 

 the farmer takes away from the land a 

 large amount of plant food, 



Q, 12. What is the soil like ? 



A. The soil is like a great workshop 

 or laboratory where the roots of plants, 

 air, moisture, and many other forces are 

 always working. We should never 

 think of the soil as mere dirt. 



Kinds op Soil. 



Q. 1. What are the five different kinds 

 of soil that we usually find on farms? 



A. (a) sandy soils, (b) clay soils, (c) sandy 

 loams, (d) clay loams, (e) humus loams. 



Q. 2. What is a sandy soil ? 



A. A sandy soil is one that contains 

 a large amount of sand. 



Q. 3. What is a clay soil ? 



A, A clay soil is one that contains a 

 large amount of clay. A clay soil may 

 be recognised by its sticky character, 



Q. 4. What is a loam ? 



A. A loam is a soil that is a mixture 

 of sand and clay. 



Q. 5. What is a sandy loam ? 



A. A sandy loam is a soil made up 

 principally of sand and clay but contain- 

 ing considerably more sand than clay. 



Q. 6, What is a clay loam? 



A. A clay loam is a soil made up 

 principally of sand and clay, but con- 

 taining more clay than sand. 



Q. 7. What is humus soil ? 



A. A humus soil is one that contains 

 a large amount of decaying organic 

 matter. 



Q. 8. What do we mean by "light" 

 and " heavy " soils ? 



A. When we speak of light and heavy 

 soils we do not refer to the actual weight 

 of soils, but to the way they behave 

 when cultivated. 



Q. 9. What is a light soil ? 



A. A light soil is one that is porous 

 so that a plough or other implement can 

 easily run through it. A light soil is easy 

 to cultivate as it usually contains much 

 sand. 



Q. 10. What is a heavy soil ? 



A. A heavy soil is one that is stiff 

 and difficult to cultivate. Heavy soils 

 contain much clay. 



5 Miscellaneous. 



Q. 11. What do we mean by "warm " 

 and " cold " soils? 



A. Soils are called warm and cold 

 according to their power to retain the 

 sun's heat. 



Q. 12. Why is the amount of heat 

 in soils a matter of importance ? 



A. All plants for their proper develop- 

 ment require a certain amount of heat. 

 Seeds will not sprout until the soil has 

 become warmed to the required temper- 

 ature, and most farm crops attain their 

 most perfect development only in warm 

 soils. 



Q. 13. What conditions influence soil 

 temperature ? 



A. (a) Water, (6) colour of soil, (c) 

 composition of soil, (d) fineness of soil. 



Q. 14. How does water affect the 

 temperature of soils? 



A. In very wet soils moisture is con- 

 tinually evaporating and consequently 

 such soils are usually cold. In dry soils 

 there is but little evaporation, and the 

 soil through the sun's heat becomes 

 warm. As a rule the drier the soil the 

 greater the amount of heat absorbed. 



Q. 15, How does colour affect the 

 temperature of soils ? 



A. It is a well-known fact that colour 

 influences temperature, so with soils a 

 dark soil is warmer than a light one. 



Q. 16. How does composition affect 

 the temperature of soils ? 



A. As a rule sandy soils are warmer 

 than clay soils. 



Q. 17. How does the fineness of the 

 particles affect the temperature of soils ? 



A. Coarse, rocky soils suffer from 

 extremes of temperature, In fine, well- 

 cultivated soils the temperature is 

 almost uniform. 



Texture. 



Q, 1, What do we mean by the 

 " texture" of the soil? 



A. By texture we mean the physical 

 state or condition of soil, such as mellow, 

 hard, loose, compact, porous, shallow, 

 deep, lumpy, coarse, or fine. 



Q. 2. What is a " mellow soil ?" 



A. A mellow soil is a soil having good 

 texture, or one that is easily worked. 



Q. 3. Why is good textureimportant ? 



A. Good texture is important because 

 on such a soil we get larger crops than 

 on a soil of poor texture. In a soil that 

 is mellow, or of good texture, the plant 

 food is more available for the reason 

 that such a soil holds a large amount 

 of moisture and air and allows the free 

 passage of the roots of plants. A mellow 

 soil also allows a better root-hold to the 

 plant, and furnishes a comfortable place 

 in which the plants may grow. 



Q. 4. How is good texture obtained ? 



A. Good texture is obtained in two 

 ways (a) by tillage or cultivation, (b) by 

 adding some material to the soil. 



