Page 34 - SST Class 04

Sandy soil is dry, so it flies with the wind and forms small sand-hills called sand
dunes . This soil can support some crops, such as millets, pulses, gram, peanut and
linseed. We can find sandy soil in the western desert of India. If water is made
available, this can be made fertile.

5. Mountain Soil
As the name shows, mountain soil is found in mountains. It

mostly contains pebbles and stones which have not fully broken
down. It is not very fertile.

In the mountains, the slopes are cut into terraces for farming.
This type of farming is called terrace farming . The chief crops
grown in mountain soil are millets, barley, maize, cotton, rice,
fruits and potato.
A hill farm cut into terraces
We can find mountain soil in the states of Jammu and Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh.

Soil Erosion

The temperature cracks rocks which are further broken down and carried away by the
wind and water. The upper layer of soil is very fertile. When the wind blows, it carries
soil with it from the fertile plains too. It is called soil erosion. This makes even fertile
land unfit for farming. Besides these natural forces, human activity and animal grazing

also contribute to soil erosion.
Soil erosion can be checked by growing plants and trees around farms. Grass prevents
soil erosion in open plains. Animal grazing should not be allowed in farms. Bunds
should be constructed around the fields so that soil does not flow away with water.
Fields should be regularly watered and given manure. Crops should also be rotated;

that is, one crop should be followed by another crop in the same field.

fertility : a soil is fertile when plants grow well in it.
silt or alluvium : sand and mud carried by rivers.
lava : hot molten rock that comes out from inside the earth.
millets : coarse grains like jowar, bajra etc.
sand dune : a small hill of sand.
terrace farming : the steps cut into hilly slopes for growing crops.

soil erosion : carrying of soil by wind, rain etc.

34 Contemporary Social Science-4