Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-03-31
Us $780,
|AGARMo F0gAD
ENN GARDEN
SOIL MOISTURE.

Early Flowing Believed to Conserve NIois- |
ture at the Pennsylvania Station.
When ground is plowed in the spring
and a stratum of soil four or six inches |
in depth is shaved completely from that
below and reversed in a loose condition
upon 1t, there is provided a covering
which acts as strong mulch. 1t is be-
lieved by observant farmers that this
checks in a 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 81, 1892, and the soil was
carefully tested in comparison with
similarly unplowed field May g. The
unplowed ground contained in the upper
four feet 9.l3 pounds less water per
square foot than did the plowed ground
an equivalent of t.75 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 a
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 needless loss of
water by surface evaporation. The pre-
vention of excessive waste of soil water
is not the only important glin which re-
suits from early spring tillage With
all clay soils and clayey loans there is
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 excess
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 % 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 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. 1t 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 S.94 pounds more than cultivated.
A saving of 1884 pounds per square foot
is equivalent to rainfall of IL inches;
30l4 40 pounds of water are required for
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 l.277 pounds which is
about IA per cent. of good yield.