Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-03-16


n founS beteen the dry and wet earth. bl
II the moisture gradually diminishes frol
e below upward. showing that the mois
e ure Of the ground was not caused by W,
y ter as such. but by vapor which is MOI
: diffuse. Evaporation in the earth
proven by the precipitation Of dews. Th
moisture exhaled from the ground
condensed by the cool Of night and
shower OF mist is the result. The waite
of rain, hail and snow is not. generally
perhaps never, precipitated in the exac
: place where it arose in vapor, but it !
usually conveyed great distances in tn
, air, and thrown down by the refrigerat
log phenomena which take place ir,th,
air, at great attitudes. Rain and snow
always descend from clouds. dew never
but, on the contrary, dew always fall
in clear night and a still air, and, prac
ticalIy, exactly where the vapor arose
From these considerations. the deduction
is irresistible that evaporation elevate,
into the upper soil, ,and po,rs out of it i'm,
mense quantities of water. But, we are
told that evaporation from the surface OF
the ground has always been recognized,
and that evaporation takes place only on
the surface; that the moisture is first
brought to the surface by attraction, and
these are converted into the vapor form.
| FaI
II this assumption were true, the driving
OF the surface of the ground would be inn
possible. This position denies that the
air penetrates the ground; and that heat
and moisture evolves vapor. Moreover,
the assumed facts do not exist. The
earth is not always wet to the superficial
surface. Who has not seen the plowed
earth"drylas powder"to the depth of six or
more lnches-and still deeper down, to
the depth of several feet, so dry that it
was difficult to detect the presence of
moisture at all? The depth to which the
plowed ground dries out depends largely
upon the physical condition of the
ground. GroGnd that is broken up in
great clods so that the air has free circu-
latlon through them, will dry out very
quickly, while that which is very fine.
a1d, therefore battles the too free in
gress of air, light and heat, retains its
humidity for great while. Coarse,
lumpy or granular soil earth, dries out
much quicker than very fine earth,
from what has been laid down as pre-
mlses hitherto, the practical conclusion
may have been already deduced. 1t NAV
seem at first glance somewhat paradoxi-
cal that the remedy for excess of both
a0et and dry should be found in the same
operatlon-t. e., in very deep culture
and thorough pulverization of the soil.
In breaking up the ground to a great
depth, and, therefore, making it full of
little passages through which the excess
of water flows down from the surface.
we, at the same time, build in the soil
millions of little cisterns which hold the
water not needed for present use: thus
rendering the soil Immediately dry in a
wet time, and saving good supply of
water when a dry time ensues. When
the time arrives when this stowed-away
moisture is wanted TO quench the thirst
of 'the growing crops, the free water is
up by capillary attraction as
heigh as this power can raise it; then the
sublime force of vaporization further ele.
Yates and diffuses the moisture through
the thirsty ground. TO insure the bene-
fetal effects of evaporation in moisten-
ing the dry soil, attention to certain
of the ground is imperative.
AS is practically known to every wide.
awake farmer, the clods in his plowed
ground always dry out first; especially
nose that lie on top of the ground, and.
ire, therefore, most exposed to the evap-
'rating influence Of sun and air; while tie
iner earth is, ordinarily, moist and damp.
10 when the plowed surface consists of
'lods only, the air has free circulation
through the mass, and the sun can ac-
ually shine down as deep as plowed. the
Whole dries out quickly and vegetation
erishes. 1T has already been stated that
he finer capillaries hold fast to the water
hey contain with greater persistence
han the larger ones; it is. therefore, a
natter of primary importance that the
oil should be reduced to as fine state as
While the presence of at
lospheric air in the ground is indispen-
able, the ingress of too much air, is.
erhaps, as injurious to arabic land as
30 much moisture itself; because, the
reer the access, the larger the vol
me, the more rapid the currents, and.
onsequently, the evaporation is too
reat. If the conditions of vaporization
an be ascertained with sufficient exact
ess, 30 that the subteranean moisture
an be raised just as fast as wanted
'ithout waste, the bad effects of drouth
lay be almost entirely averted. Tt ap-
ears to me it will be admitted without
avil, that the more water we can make
ne earth absorb, If aUe can get it do,yn out
the acdy, the dryer will be the soil in :
'et time; and the longer will the mois I
Ire remain in the ground, for the use of !
lants, if it can be saved from waste Lv
20 rapid evaporation. We have said to
bsorb and retain moisture the soil must
e made fine, but .faeness is not of itself
because ground thus prepared
very light, and quite too porous; it
lust, therefore, be rolled down firmly.
} prevent too rapid evaporation. This