The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1901-07-25

oxIdes For instance, ii you ieave a
! bright. new ak OUT exposed 70 the
weather you Will soou note coating
upon it which you call rust; that ls
produced by the action OF the oxygen
81 the air upon the irou OF the ak, and
is really the oxide of iron. La this way,
then, by the action of water in freezing
and thawing, i'll grinding and trans
porting che broken fragments of the
rock and BY the action OF the air IN OK
idizing the minerals going on for many
thousands and thousands OF years, pos
sibly millions of years, the rocks have
been gradually converted into what we
now know as the soil and subsoiL
The subSoll may extend down only a
few feet, or it may extend for many feet,
but when yon get TO the bottom of ir
you will strike the rock. usually the
same kind of rock from which the soil
was originally derived. Soils may. be
divided into these general classes
sandy, clayey, limy and peary, accord.
ing TO whether their principal iucre.
dents consist of sand, clay, carbonate
of lime or vegetable matter. A soil
which contains over 10 per cent OF sand
is called sandy. Such soils usually con-
thiu Dub LbbAC Rlhnb IOUO. 1u6y are ILL.,
adapted to Withstand drought, as the
sandy particles absorb and retain but
little moisture and the crops would
soon burn up Ill a long dry season; but
when the rainfall is abundant ar irri-
CATION is at hand these soils are desira.
BILE, because they dry out quickly, per-
NIT the easy cultivation of the crops
and respond quickly to liberal fertiliza.
ton. They are especially adapted TO
quick growing crops
A clay soil Is one that contains over
80 per cent of clay, and is exactly the
reverse of the sandy soil. Water perco.
lates through them very slowly and in
very wet season the crops on them
suffer from the excess of moisture They
are also more difficult to cultivate.
These lands. however, are usually rich
er in plant food. They are we'll adapt.
ed TO the grains and grasses. Limy
soils, lime soils, or calcareous soils, are
those which contain over 20 per cent of
lime. The lime exists i'll these soils in
the form of carbonate of lime, and is a
very valuable element of plant food It
Is itself absolutely essential to the plant
and it also aids in breaking up mineral
combinations i'll the soil, and so render
ing other elements of plant food avail
able which would otherwise remian In T..
soluble and therefore inert.
Lime also aids materially in the
decay of organic or vegetable mat.
ter in the soil; it also improves
the mechanical condition of the
soil; it is a great benefit in this way
both TO sandy and clay soils. It causes
the very loose particles of the sandy soil
to adhere more closely together, and so
improves its power of absorbing and
holding water; it also improves the tex
ture of a clay soil by preventing the
particles from sticking or adhering so
closely together and thus renders it
more porous and friable and easy to
work. and also enables water to pass
through it more easily, in a measure
obvlatlng the dangers of wet season
on clay land. The imy soils are adapt.
ed to the grains and grasses and fruits.
Peaty soils consist of organic or vege-
table matter in state OF partial decom.
position, with comparatively little min.
eral matter. Such lands are usually of
a deep black color and are very proGuc.
tive.
The three kinds of soil just described
are the extremes of their kind, and the
soils which are generally preferred by
farmers are mixtures OF these, and are
known as loans; n soil which contains
from 10 TO 20 per cent of clay is called a
sandy loan, when it contains from ~ TO
~ per cent of clay it is a loan, and
when IL Is composed of from 30 10 90
per cent of clay is clay loan. An ideal
or perfect soil Is hard Co find i'll nature
containing just the right proportion of
sand to keep 1t porous and warm and
permeaole TO water; just the right
amount or clay Co keep it cool ana 10
oovlate the water running quickly
through 1t like a sieve or evaporatlng
too rapidly from its surface; Just the
right amount of humus or decayed vege.
table matter TO furnish nitrogen and to
mold Just the proper quantity of moist
ure like sponge: also just the proper
amount OF lime III the soil to furnish
plant food TO help hberate the potash
from the teldSpar and mica minerals i'll
the soil, and also TO aid III the decompo-
Sltlon of roots and turned under crops
like clover and peas. Plenty OF lime III
the soil will help convert these into
humus which is so highly appreciated
by farmers all over the world because il
nelps TO retain moisture, TO convert the
lnsoluble forms of nitrogen into the more
soluble. and TO give to the soil that black
color which is usually found i'll most
fertile soils. and which certainly has the
power of absorbing more of the heat
rays of the sun and thus making the
soil warmer than the lighter colored
soils can possibly be. In my next letter
Will still write you more ON this i'm.
portant subject of the soil.
JOHN MCCANDLESS,
Srata Ebop,iSr