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The First Book of Farming by Charles Landon Goodrich
page 54 of 307 (17%)
_Work of Animals._--Earth worms and the larvæ of insects which burrow
in the soil eat soil particles which pass through their bodies and are
partially dissolved. These particles are generally cast out on the
surface of the soil. Thus these little animals help to move soil, to
dissolve soil, and to open up passages for the entrance of air and
rain.


SOIL TEXTURE

We have seen that the soil particles vary in size and that for the
best development of the plant the particles of the soil must be so
arranged that the delicate rootlets can readily push their way about
in search of food, or, in other words, that the soil must have a
certain texture. By the texture of the soil we mean the size of its
particles and their relation to each other. The following terms are
used in describing soil textures: Coarse, fine, open, close, loose,
hard, stiff, compact, soft, mellow, porous, leachy, retentive, cloddy,
lumpy, light, heavy. Which of these terms will apply to the texture of
sand, which to clay, which to humus, which to the garden soil, which
to a soil that plant roots can easily penetrate? We find then that
texture of the soil depends largely on the relative amounts of sand,
silt, clay and humus that it contains.




CHAPTER IV

RELATION OF SOILS TO WATER
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