Lessons on Soil

Lessons on Soil, by E. J. Russell

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Lessons on Soil, by E. J. Russell This
eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Lessons on Soil
Author: E. J. Russell
Release Date: April 10, 2007 [EBook #21022]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LESSONS
ON SOIL ***

Produced by Al Haines

LESSONS ON SOIL
BY
E. J. RUSSELL, D.Sc. (Lond.)
GOLDSMITH COMPANY'S SOIL CHEMIST, ROTHAMSTED

EXPERIMENTAL STATION

Cambridge:
at the University Press
1911

[Transcriber's note: Page numbers in this book are indicated by
numbers enclosed in curly braces, e.g. {99}. They have been located
where page breaks occurred in the original book, in accordance with
Project Gutenberg's FAQ-V-99. In the HTML version of this book,
page numbers are placed in the left margin.]

{v}
PREFACE
The Syndics of the Cambridge University Press propose to issue a
Nature Study Series of which this is the first volume.
We count ourselves fortunate in securing Dr E. J. Russell as author and
Soil as subject. The subject is fundamental, for, just as the soil lies
beneath the plant and animal life we see, so is a knowledge of the soil
necessary for all understanding of flora and fauna. The real complexity
of the apparently simple element "Earth," and the variety of methods
required for exploring it, are typical of the problems which the tout
ensemble of the outdoor world presents to the naturalist.
Dr E. J. Russell has not only acquired a first-rate and first-hand
knowledge of his subject at Wye and at Rothamsted; his own
researches have recently extended our knowledge of the
micro-organisms in the soil and their influence on fertility. Further,
what is very much to our purpose, he has himself had practical

experience in teaching at an elementary school in Wye and at a
secondary school in Harpenden.
Just at the present moment, County Councils are trying to push rural
education and to awaken the intelligence of country children by
interesting them in their surroundings. It is, therefore, a favourable
opportunity to offer these pages as a concrete suggestion in model
lessons and object lessons, showing exactly what can be done under
existing conditions.
{vi}
The book is intended to help children to study nature; there is no
attempt to substitute book study for nature study. Hence, whilst there
are passages of continuous reading, it is not a mere "reader." Many
teachers, myself among them, have felt the difficulty of organising
practical work for large classes. Dr Russell has written so that, whilst
nominally showing the pupil how to learn, he is secretly scattering hints
for the teacher who is learning how to teach.
Abundant and varied practical exercises have been suggested, and
careful instructions have been given so that the book shall seem
intelligible even in the absence of a teacher. The proposed practical
work is not only what might be done by eager boys and girls on
half-holidays, but what can be done by every scholar in the course of
ordinary school work. The pictorial illustrations are intended as aids to
observation, not as substitutes. Drawing is one form of practical
exercise, and the preparation of corresponding illustrations in the
scholars' notebooks from the apparatus used in the classroom and the
fields around the school may afford exercises in artistic work with pen,
brush or camera.
Sufficient directions are given for the supply of necessary materials and
apparatus. The apparatus proposed is of the simplest character.
It is suggested that the book will be found most useful in the higher
standards of elementary schools, in preparatory schools and in the
lower forms of secondary schools, that is, where the ages of scholars

average from 12 to 14.
HUGH RICHARDSON
YORK, 7 January 1911

{vi}
CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE
I. WHAT IS THE SOIL MADE OF? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 II. MORE
ABOUT THE CLAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 III. WHAT LIME DOES
TO CLAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 IV. SOME EXPERIMENTS WITH
THE SAND . . . . . . . . . . . 22 V. THE PART THAT BURNS
AWAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 VI. THE PLANT FOOD IN THE
SOIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 VII. THE DWELLERS