HINTS ON SOILS AND FERTILIZERS 9 
soil particles that we have. These sand par¬ 
ticles are further divided into large sand par¬ 
ticles, medium sand, and fine sand. Not only are 
these sand particles the largest, but they are 
also the heaviest. They are the first to settle 
when carried by a stream of water. These sand 
particles are not only easily recognized by the 
eye, but have a rough feeling when rubbed be¬ 
tween the fingers. 
The silt particles are smaller than the sand 
particles. We might classify them as medium 
soil grains, smaller than the sand particles, but 
larger than the minute clay particles. These 
soil grains, when rubbed between the fingers, 
have a velvety feeling. 
The smallest sized particles of soil with 
which we have to deal, are the clay particles. 
These soil grains are even smaller than the 
silt particles, and many times smaller than the 
sand particles. Anyone familiar with clayey 
soils knows their sticky character when moist. 
This is because of the amount of moisture that 
is retained between the minute clay particles. 
These small particles retain water for a longer 
period of time than other soils because of the 
fact that there are so many tiny spaces between 
the small particles of soil, each of which holds 
a minute quantity of moisture. 
We thus see that the above mentioned soils 
are classified in this manner solely from a basis 
of size of soil particles. We often hear a soil 
referred to as a silt loam, a sandy loam, etc. 
This merely means that the soil referred to iS 
not all sand, or not all silt, etc., but that it con- 
