Show I The e Land an Doctor n By Vivian Shearer ii All of the works of Nature and N Natures Nature's tures ture's workings make us poor mortals sit back In wide- wide eyed wonder when we consider them but the most wonderful ot of Natures Nature's accomplishments Is the tine development of the soil The soUis soil soU is the last touch that is needed to make this old earth habitable for mankind It Is a holy Inheritance inherit it which mankind should possess and guard with understanding understanding understanding under under- standing and skill and devotion In this soil building process the p parents rents substance from which all finer materials Is derived is rock The Tho rocks are broken down by physical and chemical wear and tear which is known as weathering The particles become become become be be- come smaller and smaller until they range all the way from granular granular granular gran gran- ular down clown to the finest colloidal particles and are graded into three classes depending upon the size of the p particles These grades are known as sand salt and clay 1 I Some of this weathered materIal material mater mater- ial remains in n place where it was formed Other portions are carried away by the wind and scattered over large areas or else piled up In hummocks hummock's or dunes Still other portions are picked up by moving water and dropped at some distant point to form alluvial fans or flood plains But regardless of how howit it Is graded or or how It happens to be deposited this weathered rock Is the base or parent material material material ma ma- from which all soil Is de do- The next n ne step In the soil building process Is the charging of this parent material with organic organic organic or or- ganic life liCe In other words it Is not soil until It becomes the home of living organisms The first life liCe to appear In this raw parent material are aro the very simplest animal and plant organ isms These life forms increase and die and decay in ever Increasing increasing increasing in In- creasing numbers near the surface surface surface sur sur- face of the ground Their life functions and their physical remains remains remains re re- re- re mains supply the organic materIal material material ma ma- and the tho biochemical actions actions actions ac ac- ac- ac that mark the beginning of or soil growth As the soil becomes becomes becomes be be- comes properly prepared by el elemental elemental elemental el- el life forms the tine higher forms of plants and animals appear appear appear ap ap- ap- ap pear and by their contribution further enrich the tho soil Thus is topsoil born As the topsoil develops the amount of organic content in increase increase increase in- in crease it becomes more absorb absorb- ent Water percolating through the soil tends to carry the finer clay particles downward through the looser body of the and to deposit them In the tho lower lower lower low low- er layer This as the development development development develop develop- ment proceeds the topsoil be becomes becomes becomes be- be comes looser In texture and the subsoil becomes tighter and more resistant to the easy movement movement movement move move- ment of moisture through It This process continues until definite layers are arc developed These layers layers layers lay lay- ers make up what Is known as the soil profile |