26 
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 w r ater 
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. 
