The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-01-28
SOIL MOISTURE.
Early Flowing Believed to Conserve Mois-
ture at the Pennsylvania Station.

|
When ground is plowed in the spring
and stratum of soil four or six inches
in depth is shaved completely from that
beSw and reversed in loose condition
upon it, there is provided covering
| which acts as strong mulch. 1t is be-
| lieved by observant farmers that this
checks in marked degree the loss of
water by evaporation from the undis-
turbed soil. Precise figures have been
lacking, however. until recently the
Pennsylvania experiment station made
careful Investigations. One plot was
plowed April 27, 1899, and the soil was
carefully tested in comparison with a
similarly unplowed field May 6. The
unplowed ground contained in the upper
four feet 9.13 pounds less water per
square foot than did the plowed ground,
an equivalent of LIS inches of rainfall.
When it is observed that the amount of
water available for crop production on
almost all lands is less than that which
can be used to the best advantage, when
one year is taken with another, such
fact has an important bearing upon
problems of tillage-
1t teaches that where corn and potato
ground is to be plowed in the spring, the
blowing should be done as soon as the
soil is dry enough to permit it, and that
where corn is to be planted upon fall
blowing, the disk harrow. or similar tool,
should be used upon this ground as early
as practicable, to avoid a needless loss Of
water by surface evaporation. The pre-
vention Of excessive waste of soil water
is not the only important gain which re-
suits from early spring tillage. With
all clay soils and clayey loans there Is a
certain degree of dryness at which they
work with the least resistance and are
at the same time in the best possible
filth; as these soils pass from the exces-
sive wet stage through the stage of best
moisture to that of too little, they shrink
and draw together into the large or
small clods which are so annoying, SO
productive of labor, and SO preventive of
large yields.
The ground referred to in the above
experiment and plowed April ss was left
in excellent filth, but that which, side by
side with it, lay eight days longer with
out blowing had developed in it during
that time great number of clods of ex-
treme size and hardness, and it be-
came necessary to go over this ground
twice with a loaded harrow, twice
with disk harrow and twice with
a heavy roller before it was brought
into condition Of filth only approx
mating that which it might have had
had it been plowed on April %. Not
only did the delay in blowing increase
fourfold the labor of fitting the ground,
but at the same time it resulted in an
unnecessary waste of water, which was
large and greatly needed. The Farmers
Review. commenting on the foregoing,
says very truly that we are fast coming
to believe that surface tillage diminishes
the rate of evaporation from the soil, but
as yet we are without positive data in re-
gard to Just how great this saving may be.
This question was also studied at the
above station. It was found that dur
ing sixty-four days, for each column of
soil one square foot in section and six
feet long, the uncultivated ground had
dried 8.S4 pounds more than cultivated
A saving of 8.s4 pounds per square foot
is equivalent to rainfall Of IL inches;
301.49 pounds of water are required for
a pound of dry matter in corn, and the
above saving of water in times of short
age should increase the yield Of dry
matter per acre 1,277 pounds, which is
about IA per cent. of good yield.
Relative Values of Yellow and White Corn.
The advantages claimed for yellow
corn are that it is better than white va
rieties for poor or thin land; that it is
more fattening; that it is more prolific. |
Southern Cultivator says on the subject:
"Our own opinion is that varieties Of |
yellow corn generally are richer in oil,
but that there is no foundation in fact |
for the other claims. Some varieties of |
yellow corn are much later than some
varieties of white corn. In other words,
we do not believe that there is any con-
slant relation between the color Of the |
corn and its productiveness or earliness. |
Color is largely if not entirely an acct |
dent, and indicates no excellence except |
probably the quantity or percentage of |
fat in the grain"
The trouble with northern animals in |
Florida appears to be that there is not
lime enough in the soil there for their
demands. They 90 lame, and cattle de
velop besides, it is claimed, a disastrous
habit of eating sand. In order to correct |
this lime may be artifcially supplied to
fha amin q Ia in fhS5r food