Soil Notes

• The main constituents of soil are:
• Sand 
• Clay 
• Silt
• Pebbles
• Humus  

• Soil has special properties which determine the type of soil. These properties are:

1. Absorption of water in soil
2. Moisture in the soil
3. Percolation rate of water in soil

Absorption of Water in Soil:

• The difference in particle size of the various soil constituents gives rise to a property called texture.
• If it is very gritty and a pale brownish colour, then it is sandy.
• If it 'polishes', i.e., makes a shiny smooth coating on your fingers and is grayish-brown in colour, then it is clay.
• If it is crumbly and dark, but not especially gritty or smooth and shiny, then it is loamy soil.
• Based on the proportion of sand, silt, clay, and humus present, soil can be:

  (a) Sandy

  (b) Clayey