THE #GENESIS OF #SOIL

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Soil primarily had its beginning from rock together with animal and vegetable decay, if you can imagine long stretches or periods of time when great rock masses were crumbling and breaking up. Heat, water action, and friction were largely responsible for this. By friction here is meant the rubbing and grinding of rock mass against rock mass. Think of the huge rocks, a perfect chaos of them, bumping, scraping, settling against one another. What would be the result? Well, I am sure you all could work that out. This is what happened: bits of rock were worn off, a great deal of heat was produced, pieces of rock were pressed together to form new rock masses, some portions becoming dissolved in water. Why, I myself, almost feel the stress and strain of it all. Can you? 

Then, too, there were great changes in temperature. First everything was heated to a high temperature, then gradually became cool. Just think of the cracking, the crumbling, the upheavals, that such changes must have caused! You know some of the effects in winter of sudden freezes and thaws. But the little examples of bursting water pipes and broken pitchers are as nothing to what was happening in the world during those days. The water and the gases in the atmosphere helped along this crumbling work. 

From all this action of rubbing, which action we call mechanical, it is easy enough to understand how sand was formed. This represents one of the great divisions of soil sandy soil. The sea shores are great masses of pure sand. If soil were nothing but broken rock masses then indeed it would be very poor and unproductive. But the early forms of animal and vegetable life decaying became a part of the rock mass and a better soil resulted. So the soils we speak of as sandy soils have mixed with the sand other matter, sometimes clay, sometimes vegetable matter or humus, and often animal waste. 

Clay brings us right to another class of soils clayey soils. It happens that certain portions of rock masses became dissolved when water trickled over them and heat was plenty and abundant. This dissolution took place largely because there is in the air a certain gas called carbon dioxide or carbonic acid gas. This gas attacks and changes certain substances in rocks. Sometimes you see great rocks with portions sticking up looking as if they had been eaten away. Carbonic acid did this. It changed this eaten part into something else which we call clay. A change like this is not mechanical but chemical. The difference in the two kinds of change is just this: in the one case of sand, where a mechanical change went on, you still have just what you started with, save that the size of the mass is smaller. You started with a big rock, and ended with little particles of sand. But you had no different kind of rock in the end. Mechanical action might be illustrated with a piece of lump sugar. Let the sugar represent a big mass of rock. Break up the sugar, and even the smallest bit is sugar. It is just so with the rock mass; but in the case of a chemical change you start with one thing and end with another. You started with a big mass of rock which had in it a portion that became changed by the acid acting on it. It ended in being an entirely different thing which we call clay. So in the case of chemical change a certain something is started with and in the end we have an entirely different thing. The clay soils are often called mud soils because of the amount of water used in their formation.  

The third sort of soil which we farm people have to deal with is lime soil. Remember we are thinking of soils from the farm point of view. This soil of course ordinarily was formed from limestone. Just as soon as one thing is mentioned about which we know nothing, another comes up of which we are just as ignorant. And so a whole chain of questions follows. Now you are probably saying within yourselves, how was limestone first formed? 

At one time ages ago the lower animal and plant forms picked from the water particles of lime. With the lime they formed skeletons or houses about themselves as protection from larger animals. Coral is representative of this class of skeleton-forming animal. 

As the animal died the skeleton remained. Great masses of this living matter pressed all together, after ages, formed limestone. Some limestones are still in such shape that the shelly formation is still visible. Marble, another limestone, is somewhat crystalline in character. Another well-known limestone is chalk. Perhaps you'd like to know a way of always being able to tell limestone. Drop a little of this acid on some lime. See how it bubbles and fizzles. Then drop some on this chalk and on the marble, too. The same bubbling takes place. So lime must be in these three structures. One does not have to buy a special acid for this work, for even the household acids like vinegar will cause the same result.  

Then these are the three types of soil with which the farmer has to deal, and which we wish to understand. For one may learn to know his garden soil by studying it, just as one learns a lesson by study.

Backyard #Campouts: The Perfect Night time #Activity

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Each year, millions of Americans head out to their local camp grounds. Camping in the great outdoors is any camper's dream; however, not everyone is able to camp at a camp ground or state park.  If you find it difficult or impossible to go camping, you may want to consider backyard camping.  You may very well find that it is the perfect backyard activity, especially in the evening.  

Although camping in your backyard may not seem glamorous, it can be a fun and exciting adventure.  In fact, it is an adventure that thousands of families enjoy each year.  Backyard camping is popular for a wide variety of different reasons. One of those reasons includes the ease of camping. If you are an avid camper, it is likely that you may know alto well how hard to can be to make it to your camp site.  Not only do you have to worry about getting yourself to the camp site, but all of your supplies as well. And, imagine if you forgot anything!  In most cases, backyard camping cuts down on the hassle of most camping trips.

Backyard camping is also popular because it allows campers to camp is a safe area.  Unfortunately most campers, while camping on public grounds, are unfamiliar with their surroundings. Not only may they be unfamiliar with the land, but they may also be unfamiliar with other campers.  Unfortunately, in today's society it is just too much of a risk for some individuals. If physical safety is a concern of yours, that concern can almost completely be eliminated with backyard camping. Not only will you know the area, but you also know who or what should be in your neighborhood.  

As previously mentioned, backyard camp outs are popular among those with children, especially young children.  When it comes to camping, there are many children who are not at the right age to go.   Whether it is due to unfamiliar territory, uncomfortable sleeping spaces, or being away from what they know, there are many children that are unable to handle a camping trip.  However, as a parent, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be able to enjoy camping. With backyard camping, everything should workout for everybody.  Not only will be camping in the outdoors, but you will also be near your home, in case you need anything for your children.

While backyard camp outs are ideal for those with small children, camp outs are also fun for everyone else.  Many individuals, including adults without children, enjoy backyard camping because it is convenient, safe, and free.  Most public camp grounds, in the United States, charge a fee for campers.  While this fee will vary from location to location, it can get quite expensive. That is why backyard camping is so popular in the United States.

If you are interested in having a backyard camp out, you will have to decide which supplies you will need.  Depending on your preference, you may be able to sleep in a tent or underneath the stars.  In addition to sleeping equipment, you may want to think about backyard toys, food, drinks, and snacks.

By preparing for your backyard camp out, you should have everything that you need. Proper planning will also prevent you from having to go inside your home. Avoiding your home as much as possible, even though you are in the backyard, is a great way to make the most out of your backyard camping adventure.

#Diabetics: Living Beyond #Diabetes #diabetic

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Today we will discuss that most insidious disease: Diabetes!
Diabetes sneaks up on a person slowly one grain of sugar at a time one pound at a time -- until all of a sudden the pancreas and other systems of the body don't cooperate and function together. Insulin activity dwindles, fat and protein metabolism switches gears, and soon the circulation to the eye blood vessels and kidneys isn't behaving itself. Like the old song, foot bone connected to the ankle bone, ankle bone connected to the knee bone, anything that goes wrong in one part of the body affects all the other parts. In diabetes the effects are life-threatening.

In the United States alone there are over 30 million people with diabetes, (almost 9% of the population) and most of them aren't aware of it yet. People with diabetes cover a wide range of ages, from babies up to the senior citizens. Finding out how to handle the problem and following all the advice given to them consumes their lives. Ultimately the challenge requires creating a balance of diet, exercise and insulin. Balance, balance, balance! This becomes the controlling word in a diabetics life.

Diet remains the biggest task of these challenges because of the addictive nature of the body's longing for sweets. Milder forms of diabetes can be controlled by the diet alone, rather than having to resort to added insulin. The diet for each individual needs to be balanced to individual needs, and the ingredients for all seem to be a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Keeping a balance between the acid and PH levels in the body also needs to be considered. Yet, it just isn't that easy to give up those bottles of Pepsi that seem to make you feel stable. White foods' are almost always a no-no for a diabetic, and those fresh vegetables are a life-sustaining necessity.

Diabetics often have unique personalities. They tend to be part of the most creative section of the population. They think in terms of wholeness rather than in details, which means they often love to start a project but have a hard time finishing it. Their creativity also can express in ways that others might call disorganized. The Ugly Duckling story portrays the hidden life of the diabetic, and they often don't have enough self-respect or self-esteem because they feel they are different.

From the brilliance of their thinking (which is often hid from the rest of the world) to the tag of erratic' that is sometimes applied to them, the diabetic is who you want around in a time of crisis. When the house is on fire they will excel because they are only dealing with one situation at a time.

However, should the car not start in the morning there are too many options available. A diabetic is as apt to call the suicide help line as to call a mechanic.

Living as a diabetic, or living with one, means acknowledging that there is a major difference in how the wholeness of the personality functions. Reinforce the positives and learn to live with a little disorder. Respect the bodies intelligence that knows when it needs to rest. The non-diabetic hasn't always learned this beautiful lesson on how to make the most of a human life. The diabetics are the way-showers!