LaMotte SOIL TEXTURE UNIT 1067 - Manual (Page 4)

To further describe the various graduations possible under each general
soil texture classification mentioned above, additional terms have been
applied. Some examples of these are loamy sand, sandy loam, silty clay
loam, sandy clay or a silty clay.
Once the three textural classes for a soil have been determined it may be
of further interest to place the material from each Soil Separation Tube in
individual piles on a piece of paper. Allow sufficient time for air drying.
Now it is possible to determine the feel of the various textural classes. This
experience will be helpful when the student is in the field.
The following statements give the more obvious characteristics of a
textural class based on its feel when rubbed between the fingers.
Sand is loose and single grained and will fall apart after being squeezed
when dry. When sand is wet it will form a cast that falls apart after being
squeezed.
Sandy loam contains mostly sand, but also some silt and clay. Individual
sand grains can be felt and seen.
Silt loam has a moderate amount of the very find grains of sand, is
fine-textured and contains only a small amount of clay. A dry sample feels
smooth and silky like flour or talcum powder.
Clay loam is a fine-textured soil that after working breaks up into clods or
lumps that are hard to break when dry. A wet cast forms a smooth smear
and is sticky when squeezed.
WA TER SED I MEN TA TION TEST
These tubes may also be used as sedimentation tubes for the study of turbid
waters.
1. Fill tubes to the 50 mL mark with sample water. Cap and place in the
plastic rack. Leave undisturbed until all the solid material has settled.
CALCULATION: Each 0.5 mL of solid material collected is
equivalent to 1% of the total volume.
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