Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-06-03
EfffCcETGEAII PAPbRS.
A SERIES PREPARED ESPECIALLY FOR
TIE RECoRD-UNIoN."
Preventing Instruction Contained in Lect-
ures from the Chair CT Agricult-
ure, state University.

TwEETy- FIRST FAPER-FHYsICAL .HARAc-
TER OF TIE SOIL (noSTlNUEDl
a. Changes in the volume OF the soil
caused by changes OF temperature and
amount Of moisture. The alternate shrink
ing and swelling which IS, under the IN
flaences Of temperature and moisture,
almost constantly taking place q sciis' is
of considerable Importance n affecting
their physical conditions. 1t e generally
known that most absorptive substances
swell when saturated with liquids; and
bake. OF decrease in bulk, and often crack
when EXPOSED to heat until the absorbed
moisture is driven Of; also that water,
in the process Of freezing, swells, and in so
doing exerts rendiDg force sufficient to
burst the strongest vessels. The action of
water and irosts upon soils is nc exception
TO the general rule. The effects are OF
course different with tine different kinds Of
soils. Soils rich in humps or vegetable
matter are affected more than others.
johnson saws that the surface OF moors
often rise or fall with the wet or dry sea-
son through s space OF several inches. In
ordinary cultivated soils no change OF bulk
is generally apparent to the observer.
HBAyy CLAWS
Are generally affected by their drying up,
especially when the season is very hot and
dry. Soils containing much clay, and
when not kept thoroughly TILED during the
summer time, are often considerably dam
aged by caking' OF baking into hard
Jumps, which successfully defy all attempts
to pulverize them, for che season at least
The purer the clay the more apparent are
the effects. In the counties OF Yuba and
Suffer, and along any river in California
which receives the detritus OF hydraulic
mining, the fields Of clay, especially when
much sand Is not present, IN the dry season
present deep, irregular assures, often sew
eral feet in depth. This cracking was
caused by the excessive contraction, when
drying, OF the ciayey debris from the n.y.
draulic mines, and which was deposited on
the lands ad accent to the rivers as & thick
layer of more or less pure pipe clay, and
which will preserve its distinctive charac
teristics Of contraction and barrenness for
years to come. The writer has seep assures
three to four feet deep, and large enough
to receive a man 3 body, which were formed
during the first summer after the deposition
Of the sbckens, This property OF clays
renders them, when pure almost useless
for agricultural purposes but when such
soils are treated with q sufficient quantity
of lime which causes Ejaculation and
speedy disintegrstion, Cor with certain
quantity of sand, which benetcially affects
the mechanical composition OF the clay,
and prevents 1t from compscting when
dry, clay soils are, when properly cult
waited, the most desirable OF all. They are
the most enduring OF all soils, and when
understandingly cultivated under which
is included drainage, application OF stable
and mineral manure, etc } they are the
most satisfactory and profitable OF soils.
In countries where the winters are ex.
cessive the frost is q very etfectusl agent
IL breaking up the soil. We are all fsmi-
liar with the practice of the early settlers
Of turning up their sod and leaving it to lie
fallow and exposed to the weather during
the winter and spring, well knowing that
it would be found TO be effectusily pulver-
lied by one such treatment. But in Cali
fOrnia- the land Of the orange and olive,
and where excessive frosts are almost I'M
kuown-we derive little aid from the frosts
IN Inc preparation of our soils. Such
being the case, we are not directly inter
ested in the details Of this subject and
must therefore pass It over,
g. ADHEsIVENEss OF TIE SOIL.
We have already pointed out the fact
tnat the farmer derominates HE soil
heavy" or Light, accordingly as it tills
difficulty or easily; and, therefore, accord
ing to its adhesiveness. Adhesiveness is
the principal property which influences the
ease with which soil takes on q state of
filth. The adhesiveness is dependent upon
the amount of water in the soil. Clay, for
instance, when dry and thoroughly pulver.
lied, Is almost as easy to work as dry, light
sand, and hence has little adhesiveness
But as soon as it is wetted it becomes
sticky and upmanageable IN the extreme.
1t is a disagreesble property OF clay that
the more il is worked, when ID wet
condition, the more adhesive and heavy"
it gets This property Is well illustrated
by the methods used by the potter in i'm
parting to his clay the desired degree of
water and then stirred necessarily until
the proper adhesiveness and Elasticity are
acquired, when, after drying, it is fit for
the lathe and mold. The finer the grade
of porcelain or pottery required the more
work is expended on the preparation of the
clay 1t Is q we'll known practical fact
that when clay soils are titled out
of season the effects are such as
sometimes to render them barren
and manageable for a whole season, and
sometimes even longer. They of all soils
require to be titled understandingly, and
with reference to the particular season,
probability of rain, etc., and few SEEM
ingly slight mistakes in those matters may
often cause total failure OF crops. Soils
composed in large part Of sand, humus, or
lime have, when dry, very little adhesive
ness and are, therefore, IN the farmers
phraseology, light soils. Their ad-
hesiveness when wet is, however, quite
perceptible but owing to their porosity
and the readiness with which, when prop
erly drained, they dry off on the surface,
the time when they may be plowed with
safety is not limited as with clay soils.
Yet even these soils will suffer IN filth if
cultivated when saturated with water, and
the little time lost IN waiting Tor them to
dry is more than compensated for the bet
ter filth secured. The remedies for ad-
hesiveness are somewhat the same as those
for shrinkage, j. e., incorporation of vege-
table matter, hunus, sand, etc., as me.
chanical agents, and the addition of lime
TO cause Ejaculation and disintegration OF
the soil masses.
t9.1 RELATION or TIE SOIL TO HEAT.
We are all aware that it is necessary
that soil should contain a certain amount
of heat in order that it may be fertile.
Plants seem to be distributed over the
earth's surface according to temperature
That is, the mean temperature OF the soil
of all parts Of the earth's surface is not the
same, and, in fact, local soils often differ
very greatly in the amounts of heat they
contain. The temperature of the soil is
to a certain depth dependent upon the
temperature Of the atmosphere and