The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-03-30
ABOUT SOIL.


The investigation of the physical
characteristics of soils deals chiefly
with the classification of soils accord
| ing to the amounts of particles OF va
rious sizes which constitute the soil.
In order to secure uniformity of clas-
sification and description a conven-
tional table of sizes has been adopted
| by the Bureau of Soils, United States
| Department of Agriculture, and the
soils are described in the terms OF
| this table. Thus all material above
| two millemetres (about liz OF an
inch) are classed as gravel and stone;
from one millimetre to one-half MILL
| metre, or about the size OF clover
seed, the grains are called coarse
sand; from one half to one-quarter
| millimetre the grains are classed as
| medium sand; from one-quarter TO
one-tenth millimetre as fine sand;
from one-tenth to five one-hundredth
| millimetre as very fine sand. So far
all grains are readily distinguishaDle
by the eye as separate fragments OF
various minerals, and little knowl-
edge of the appearance OF dinerent
minerals enables one to identify the
grains as belonging to one or more
of q half dozen common rock and SOIL
forming minerals. The next Two
grades, silt (5-1O0 to $1,000 and clay
(smaller than $1,000 millimetre) are
impalpable powders when dry, and
their mineral composition can be
made out only under high power
microscope by a person skilled IN the
recognition of minerals in small rag
ments.
Pure silt when moist is not gritty,
like the different grades OF sand' or
plastic and coherent, like the ex-
tremely minute particles of clay.
The various grades of sand usually
| make up the skeleton or framework
of the majority of soils. They render
a soil more or less open or porous,
depending both on the size of the
sand grains and their relative proper
lions in the total mass. The silt rem
ders q soil solid and somewhat COM
pact making it particularly adhesive
even when wet The clay, IL present
in proportions above 10 to 10 per cent
renders a soil waxy and ad,aesfve
when wet and either granular ma
cloddy when dry or else solid and
impervious.
The graduation of soils according to
the size of the component grains Is
a classification according to the SOIL
texture. 1t is the common classinca-
ton of the practical farmer, and the
mechanical analysis, and standard
sizes of grains are merely used IN
order that the terms used in one 10
cality may be more widely intelllgl-
BILE. Thus soil made up OF large
grains, possessing an open, porous
structure, draining freely and work
ing easily, is, by common acceptalioh'
a sand. But one locality might coll
slider a given sand as coarse, While IN
a different locality it would be estl-
mated as only medium. Similarly
soils locally known as clays frequent
ly find their place in wider ciassi-
fication as clay loans or heavy loans.
A county Astounding in clay soil might
give rise to a local classification Oh
lighter lands as sands, when they ac-
tuallv deserve to be called sandy
loans.
The physical properties OF SOILS de-
mend NOT only on the texture OF the
soil. the size of the component grams
| but also upon the structure OF the
soil-that is, the arrangement Oh the
soil particles in space, the title, as 1t
is frequently called Thus clay soil
NAV be granulated and loamy, easy
to till, well drained and well aired,
Or it may be so puddled and mixed
that it forms a Shiny, plastic mass
when wet and dries to consistency
of concrete. In both cases the me-
chanical analysis might show almost
identical texture, but mere lnspec-
ton would show vast dinerence IN
the arrangement of soil grains, the
structure. The first soil would be
seen to consist of lot of clay peD-
bles or grains. eacn made up OF rhou-
sands of much more minute indivi-
dual grains. Each compound grain is
| in itself minutely porous; while be-
tween II and its surrounding granules
large pore spaces exist. The second
soil is made up of mass OF minute
grains so evenly distributed that no
large pore spaces intervene, and only
the most minute openings exist in the
soil. The first soil is in good condi-
ton, suited to crop production, easy
to till, productive. The second is
quite often barren and unproductive.
With the same chemical composition
and the same texture, but with such
a difference in structure, the first soil
forms a fertile, productive field; the
second forms a barren waste ut only
to support weeds or to furnish clay
for Neutrality-suspicious. Farmer.
GET THE CALF STARTED RIGHT.
1t is worth while to get the calf
started right. Everything depends
upon it, so it will not lose day in
gaining.
would select high grade Short
horn or Hereford calf, bred from a
registered bull of the beef type. Feed
the COW corn and cob meal with bran
Ill