This section is from the book "Vegetable Gardening", by Ralph L. Watts. Also available from Amazon: Vegetable Gardening.
It will be seen from a study of various soil types cited that the value of a soil for trucking purposes is determined largely by its texture. The value of a soil for very early truck depends mainly upon the amount and size of sand. That is, coarse sand is a "quick" soil, because it is well drained and dries out and consequently warms up very early in the spring, and makes early planting possible. Again, the coarse sands are warmer during the entire period of growth, thus hastening early maturity. Such soils require a large amount of vegetable matter. Liberal fertilizing and irrigation are usually a great advantage. The medium sands are not quite so early, but are more productive and somewhat more retentive of moisture and plant food. The fine sands are often our best trucking soils. Although not quite so early as the coarse and the medium sands, they are usually more productive. The silt and the clay soils are often valuable for late crops, and the maintenance of fertility is less expensive on the heavier types.
 
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