Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-12-10
FARM AND :ElEEsItE
$50 20
NFV~s'7N
,..osA%Azs&SssyE se =
Atm. spheric Deposition OF
Moisture I'm the Soil.
COE. r. AUSTIN.

ence and by precept, that II was I'M
pertant in dry season to plow the
corn ground deep and to keep 1t loose,
in order that it might become damp
during the night; but l had never
learned why. l had somehow cor
ceiyed the notion that The moisture
came up from below by capillary at
traction; but a moments reflection
convinced me that this hotion was
erroneous. and l now asked myself
seriously for the first time "Why is 1t "
and the answer quickly came: 1.-THE
moisture comes out of the atmosphere
the same as dew"
= 1E -. onsaSUEeUs CoNDENsA-
- pr; AIR.
esrty sh,?nldlr;c Sk.e.,., .,o ,,o,o
had watt ned with interest the mOls-
ture which was dltfused equally through
out the air Of warm room, collecting
upon and irickllng down the cold win
dow pane. had seen, during a very
severe drought, water run in a stream
from table upon which there stood
pitcher OF ice water, the thermometer
registering 1922 iu the shade at the
time. and the PITCHER standing in draft
between two windows. with tie wind
S@&ing quite fresh from the south. In
South Jersey had seen the tender
gardrn plants wilt down in the fore
noon under lhp lnfuence Ola westerly
breeze WHICH came of the land bul
when less than an hou- afterwards the
wind had shifted to the south and wa>
Coming of the sea. which it usually
does in that region ia the summer time
r S.twee )urs of ii A. N. and :
f.M..-I had seen the same plants re-
vlve and stand up stitf aud vigorous
from the moisture which the damp south
wind had brought to their roots. had
noticed that cellar walls were always
damp in hot weather.even ID a drought.
I had seen springs which issued frop'
slate ridges increase their flow very
perceptibly in dry weather just before
rain, thereby indicating an unusual
amount Of moisture in the atmosphere;
had seen a well dug at the brink Of Il
slate ridge, that was side to be al@ays
DRY in the winter and spring, al
though 1t alwas had water in i in the
summer and fall. l had noticed that
loose ground got damp to n
considerable depth during q clear
night in hot, dry weather, while
compact earth renamed dry and that
corn growing on ground .p!Owed deep
and kept loose, was not :;;ired by q
drought which commenced as soon as
it was fairly up, aud ended just before
or about the time it began to set. Dur
i.s a .Ove9}-ousht. I had seen that
portion ola garden over which earth
had been thickly strewn which was
taken from place where ktchen slops
had been emptisd for MI CDR Of years,
produce fine acknowledgement water
ins, while those grown in the rest Of
the Garden, even with watering, were
almost a total failure and l reasoned
that all these effects were produced by
enc and the same cause, Wis: The
actual contact Of warm co s;eh-
tanning moisture IN diffusion WIZ tte
Coldest surface Of a solid,-the effect in
the last mentioned case having been
Intensified by the water-absorbing pro-
perty OF the saline matter in the soil.
CONCLUSION THEREFOR.
The following Is resume Of some Of
the most important conclusions tod
,ng this matter, to which l then arrived:
FIRST; The greater portion OF ZIG
moisture which sustains vegetable
growth during a drought, is condensed
in the SOL out of the atmosphere, by
the actual contact of warm aud sPpar"
emily dry air, with the cooler PARTICLES
Of the soil. In hot weather there Is
always large amount of moisture i'll
the air, even when it IS apparently
very dry, and as cold air eau hold III
suspension less moisture than warm air
the atmosphere becomes oyercharged
with moisture the instant Il FOOLS down
to the dew point" During clear
night the earth loses its hes, very rapid
~ by radiation, and if the ground be
plo~ed deep aud kept mellow, The air
diffusing itself freely through 1t and
becoming cool, deposits it's surplus
moisture on the surface Of each parti-
Gle Of soil with which il comes in cnu-
tact beneath the surface of the grOUad,
IN precisely the same way as it deposits
dew on the surface oil each blade o.
grass above the ground. A double !
= abe is thus beneGcsntly worked
cut by Natur. the parched soil il |
dampened and the thirsty plants revT
ed wh.is at the same time large pOr-
ton Of the Leaf lost by radiation is re-
placel by condensation, thereby pre-
venting frost. which otherwise would
occur on every clear, still night, even
in midsummer. This will become
obvious When we take into ~'~'-f ~ I
ton the amount Of this -pp D.
and also Inc fact that every - 81
water condensed has sivsr q 9
earth and 10 the air at is - l.
much heat as is required TO NIT be.
tween FIVE and six pounds of cast-iron. |
SECOND Wells and spring are sup
piled in a great measure, if not wholly
during droughts, from the same source.
The mir nernalates the soil and 49,.