GARDEN WORK 
CHAPTER I 
The Soil 
The soil is the all - important matter in gardening, 
therefore it is necessary to have some knowledge of the 
nature of soils, and the conditions necessary for the suc- 
cessful cultivation of plants, before proceeding with other 
subjects. 
Geology teaches us that primarily our earth was a 
molten mass, revolving in space. In the course of ages 
this mass cooled down on the outside. Rocks were 
formed, and then again as time rolled on, the rocks were 
acted upon by the weather and a gradual decay set in. 
Pieces of these rocks were broken off, and these in turn 
were acted upon by climatic influences. All rocks and 
stones are more or less porous. The pores absorb 
moisture. During the winter, however, the water, in 
the course of becoming frozen, expands, and the tiny 
particles of rock split asunder, fall off, and so, slowly but 
surely, soil is formed. This action is constantly carried 
on, on all stones and rocks. The closer the pores the 
slower the action and the finer the resultant soil. 
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