THE NATURE OF SOIL 



First, let us think of what the soil is made, and of 

 how it came into being. Look at the surface of any old 

 stone-built church or house and you will see how every 

 stone is partly covered by moss or lichen or other lowly 

 plant. These plants are growing in soil, formed by the 

 slow action of rain and air on the surface of the walls. 

 Similarly, in the gradual pulverisation and decomposi- 

 tion of rocks has all soil taken its origin. Similarly also, 

 as a rule, have lowly plants been its first offspring, the 

 bodies of which have been afterwards incorporated with 

 their mother soil. By the further action of the weather, 

 coupled with the action of the accompaniments of the 

 decomposition of these early plants, the soil becomes 

 deeper, and becomes also furnished with dead vegetable 

 matter, or humus, without which none of the higher 

 and more developed plants are able to live. 



According to the nature of the original rock, and 

 according also to the sort of natural weathering " or 



watering" to which it has been subjected, so will the 

 resultant soil be mainly sand or mainly clay, or an equal 

 mixture of the two. Mixed with these will usually be 

 found a certain amount of little stones or gravel, and a 

 certain amount of dark-coloured humus. In a soil 

 which is nearly all sand, or in one which is nearly all 

 clay, few flowers will thrive, but in what is called a 

 loamy soil — that is, one in which clay and sand are 

 nearly equal — nearly all plants will grow and prosper 

 if other conditions be favourable. The presence of 

 humus in the soil is important in many ways, for not 



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