4 
GARDENING IN THE SOUTHWEST 
See Dots on 
Soil Map 
( Coast-Line 
Mostly) 
Value 
See Tiny 
Circles on 
Soil Map 
(East Texas, 
La., Ark., 
and Eastern 
Oklahoma) 
See Dashes 
on Soil 
Map 
them readily so that most of its plant food is thus carried away. It 
should be mixed with clay to bind its particles together and leaf- 
mold or humus to hold moisture and supply in soluble form the 
food qualities inherent in it, needing sometimes also a complete 
chemical fertilizer that is a well-balanced food ration. The finer 
the grains of the sand, the better is the garden loam that is formed 
from it. 
The chief value of sand is that its large particles hold that 
warmth so necessary both to plant germination and growth and 
enables the fertilizers to give up readily those ingredients required 
for plantfood. Care should be taken to add fertilizer and manures 
to sand only at the time they will be needed by the plant, other¬ 
wise much of their valuable contents may be lost. 
CLAY 
Clay, whose particles are fine and smooth to the touch and form 
a compact mass (sticky when wet) too close to admit free circu¬ 
lation of water and air, must have sufficient sand to separate its 
particles and humus to bring it to that texture needed for an ideal 
garden loam. 
In preparing a garden in clay soil, two points should be noted: 
first, that it should not be disturbed while wet, and second, that 
good underdrainage adds remarkably to its productivity, for clay 
contains a high degree of plant food, notably potash. When ferti¬ 
lizers are added to it, use those in which nitrogen and phosphorus 
predominate. 
SILT 
Silt is coarser in texture than clay and finer than sand. It is 
exceedingly rich in plant-food and mixes well with humus. It is 
also useful as a binder for sand and clay. Often it is what is also 
termed "Alluvial Soil”. Alluvial soil is that finely-ground deposit, 
or residue, which is transported by rivers and streams, many times 
to great distances. The widest belt in the Southwest is located along 
the Rio Grande Basin. 
