Soil texture assessment in the field

With practice, it is possible to become reasonably skilled at assessing soil texture by feeling the soil in the following way  

Carefully moisten a handful of stone-free soil until the particles cling together (avoid excess water). Work it well in the hand until the stmcture breaks down mb a small amount between the thrrmb and fingers to assess the texture according to how gritty, silky or sticky the sample feels. The handful of moist soil can also be assessed by the amount of polish it will take, and the ease or difficulty of moulding it into a ball and other shapes. 

Sands feel gritty, but are not sticky when wet (loose when dry) and do not stain the fingers. 

Clays (at the other extreme of particle size) take a high polish when mbbed, are very sticky, bind together very firmly, and need some pressure to mould into 

Silty soils have a smooth silky feel and the more obvious this is, the greater is the amount of silt present. The amoirrrt of polish the sample takes, and its grittiness, are guides to the amount of clay arrd sand present. 

---