Show The Skin of the Earth a Few Feet SOIL S iii or a a. Few Inches Thick Has Very Largely M Molded the Life of Man The character of the soil the soil the few inches or few feet of ground that form the outer skin of the earth has earth has very largely molded the way of life of oC millions millions mil mU- lions of people throughout the world says a bulletin from the National National National Na Na- Geographic society Other factors such as moisture and temperature are important in plant growth but the fundamental factor Is the soil itself the medium in which roots can anchor themselves and from which they can draw their food supplies The Thc great loess bess region of north China is a striking example of the effect of soil on customs This light loam deposited by the wind is easily drained and none too well supplied with moisture It dictates the growth of wheat and other hardy grains In Instead instead in- in instead stead of rice The northern Chinese therefore are eating folk Their dry soil also decrees the raisIng raising rais rais- ing of livestock so it is here that China has its ts greatest concentration of ot sheep and cattle The loess bess soil of China even affects th the type of dwellIng dwelling dwelling dwell dwell- ing over a large area The deep compacted compacted com corn soil forms sheer bluffs that are as stable as soft rock In the faces of these bluffs rooms are re hollowed out and fitted with doors and win dows Hundreds of ot thousands of Chinese Chinese Chinese Chi Chi- nese make their homes in these half hal subterranean abodes The lower Yangtze valley forms torms a marked contrast to the loess leers region With its basins of rich alluvial soil soU which responds well to wet culture it is the center of Chinas China's rice pro pro- In this region the soil condition condition condition condi condi- tion has brought about dependence I almost exclusively c on rice as a vegetable vegetable vege vege- table food tood the practice of flood irrigation gatlon gation and the raising of poultry rather rath rath- er cc than large farm animals In the United States Slates the great corn belt near the center of ot the I country has been marked out by deep easily penetrated soil although temperature tern tem and moisture conditions also lare arc important factors in making this the greatest maize producing region 1 of the world Corn is an excellent food for animals It is largely i of its soil and temperature therefore that this region has become the tile great cattle fattening and hog raising section sec see tion of the United States TOBACCO AND WINE Two of mans man's chief luxuries to tobacco to to- bacco and wine are arc more strongly affected af at- at by soil differences than almost any other agricultural products Inthe Inthe In the United States Slates cigar leaf lef tobacco Is grown best on certain soils of the Connecticut valley New York Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Penn Penn- sylvania Ohio and Wisconsin The Burley types grow on the blue grass soils of Kentucky and adjoining states to the north and the bright tobaccos used in on the light soils o of the Carolinas and nearby Virginia The most famous Cuban tobacco which has at times sold as high as 20 a ton can b be grown crown only on soil in about 25 square miles mUes On special soils in Macedonia and Asia Minor are grown the celebrated Turkish to tobaccos tobaccos to- to with flavors and aromas that cannot be duplicated elsewhere Each of or the noted wines of France owes its special character to the soil soU on which the tho grapes grow SOIL COMPONENTS This priceless soil soU layer on which aU all of the worlds world's land vegetation and land animals arc are dependent is nothIng nothing noth noth- ing more than broken up bits of rock into which the decayed remains of vegetable and animal forms have been mixed Chemically there thero are three broad types of soil Alkaline neutral and acid Pure sand does not make a satisfactory satisfactory satis satis- factory soil for growing crops At the theother theother theother other end of the scale physically is clay Its particles are arc so fine tine that t they hey arc are not found In a n separate state but stick sUck together with water vater in lar large e groups Whereas pure sand is too light for satisfactory crop production t tion ion pure clay is too heavy Between sand and clay lies the wide range of useful soils solIs mado made up upi of ot particles smaller than those of s sand and and larger than those of ot clay or else of varying proportions of sand and clay with the addition in fri most cases of mixtures of lime other mineraI mineral min rain e eral ral salts and decayed vegetable mat mat- t ter er It is from the mineral solutions t that hat surround and permeate the soil crumbs that the tiny rootlets draw most of their nourishment |