Page 97 - Science class 4

3. Clayey soil

Clay is a heavy soil. It is made up of small
particles. It is soft and smooth to touch.Water
does not flow freely through this soil.

4. Loamy soil

Loam is a composition of clay, sand and humus.
Humus makes the best soil for the growth of

plants. Crops grow well in loamy soil.

SOIL EROSION
Topsoil comprises fine particles of soil. Strong winds blow away these fine

particles. Floods also carry away the topsoil. This process of the topsoil getting
carried away by wind and water is called soil erosion . Cutting down and

clearing away forest on a very large scale, also results in soil erosion.

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By now, we know that the topsoil
Cutting down and clearing away
is rich in minerals and is therefore
forest is called deforestation.
most suitable for growing crops.
If this fertile topsoil is blown away, the growth of plants gets affected.
The protection of topsoil from being blown away or
washed away is called conservation of soil.
Therefore, conservation of soil is important since it
takes hundreds of years for the formation of the topsoil.

Soil erosion cannot be prevented completely but we can adopt certain ways to

prevent soil erosion.

1. By terrace-farming
The flow of water on hilly

slopes is very rapid. A lot
of topsoil is carried away
because of such a rapid

flow of water. Farmers
build flat rows called

terraces on the hill sides
and grow crops on them. Terrace farming

Farming on such hill slopes is called terrace farming .