January 22 and 23: Texture by Feel Analysis

If you were planning to grow plants, the most important aspect of the soil to consider would be the soil’s texture.  Texture is a description of the relative amounts of each size particle a soil has.  The particles that make up soil are categorize by size and called sand, silt and clay– in order from largest to smallest.

Soils that have too much clay do not let water move through them.  Soils with too much sand don’t hold water.  With a bit of training, it is possible to feel the amounts of each particle by working the soil through your hand.

Agriculturists train to do this– in fact, students at agricultural schools have contests to see how well they can judge a soil’s texture by feel.

Texture by feel is a qualitative analysis:  the results are in words, not numbers.  We will also be doing a quantitative analysis of particles by using a settling jar.

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