The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-18
THE CONSERVATION OF SOIL MOIS-
TURE BY MEANS OF sUBsOIL
FLOWING.
Interesting Experiments at the Ne
braskn Station,

IL
braskn Station.
The ordinary methods of soil prepara-
ton and cultivation have, during the
past two years. proved inadequate to
bring the soil into a condition capable
of retaining, through a prolonged dry
spell. the moisture it received by precip-
itation. Experiments have shown that
subsoil Dlowing,* especially if done in the
fall anu thorough cultivation of the
land during the growing season, will do
much towards conserving the soil mois-
ture. thus enabling the crops grown
thereon to withstand a drought much
better than those grown on land treated
in the ordinary way.
The good results of subSoiling on the
experiment station farm have been very
marked. No experiment was planned fer
testing the effect OF subsoil blowing, but
on land that had previously teen SUBJ
soiled for sugar beets and TINS year
planted to corn, the effect Of subsot'ipg
was so strong " marked as 20 attract the
attention OF all who saw it. Tho sub
soiled and surface ploWe1 PORTIONS Of
land ON which the corn Is; growing are
in the same tfield on the east side Of Tie
farm. 1t is upirnd SOL. with Il gradual
1t is fine loan with considerable or
ganic matter Ia tna fait Of 1891 a por
ton of this field was subsoil plowed
for sugar beets, ana ms crop Was r3ised
y
SubsO,led, but pi)Wed IN tie same man
ner as was the remainder of the field.
1t is a very notey orthy fact that the
position of this vSilbsoiied land can NV
he determined almost to a row by the
superiority d the Gown Sr:wInG on it.
The stalks on the land not Subsoiled are
small. badly dried up ard tl:tve not made
any grain, while those on the SUBSIDIZED
land are of good size, having a fresh,
green appearance, and Will give a fair
yield of grain. This, it must be remem
bered. is the effect III 1890 o. SubS1ii piuW-
ing in the fall Of 1891.
Such results are encouraging in the ex-
IRENE. They show that with very little
extra expense crops can be raised with
much less rainfall than is generally sup
posed. The subsoil blowing can be done
with three horses, and does not require
much more time than surface blowing.
The subsoiler should follow in the fur
row of the surface plow The operation
doubles the expense of blowing, but, as
has been shown, it's beneficial effects
continue for several years. Probably,
once in three years would be often
enough to subsoii, but that has not yet
been determined definitely
In all cases in which subsoiling has
been done in the fall that have been re-
ported to this station, the results have
been highly satisfactory. If the effect
has not always been apparent the first
season after subsoiling, it at least makes
itself felt in the course OF two or three
very little rain falls after the subsoiling
and before the crop or crops on the land
are grown, as has been the case in the
last three years, the small amount of
moisture that it received sinks more
readily than otherwise into the soil and,
though retained there, is not easily CIV
en- up to the plant roots until the de-
mands of the soil itself are satisfied.
After the practice has once been started
however, the excess of water beyond the
demand of the soil always continues.
Among those who have tried subsoiling
n ia TO 4,
Co., of Geneva, who deserve great credit
for the enterprise they have shown in
their experiments on this subject and
their public spirit. in giving others the
advantage of their experience at con-
siderable expense to themselves. The fol-
lowing description of their experience
with Subsoiling:
"a field that. was subsoiled in the fall
Of 1891 and cropped to corn the seasons
Of '92 and 93 was planted to oats in the
spring of "a and produced yield of 1914
of the same field which had been subsoil-
ed in the fall of 50 and raised crop of
was 44ls bushels per acre, showing a
difference of bushels per acre in favor
of the land which had raised but one
crop since subsoiling.
land on the same farm not SUBSIDIZED.
Land subsoiled plowed in the fall of
1892 and planted to corn in the spring OF
corn on land not subsoiled. Sbut other
wise treated in identically the same man
ner, yielded but Sc bushels per acre. Land
spring of 1898 yielded 125 bushels per
acre, while the potato crop on land not
subsoiled was practically q. failure. This
SUBSIDIZED land was SO bushels per acre.
The potatoes were planted ON the 18th
of May, and on June 2S we had the last
to August 18th we had O.49 inch of rain
fall less than y inch in 81 days, and still
we raised a fair crop of potatoes. Rye
on SUBSIDIZED Land yielded S035 bushels per
Oats sown on land which had raised one
crop of corn since subsoiling yelled ,4413
bushels per acre; on land which had
raised two crops of corn since .subsoiling,
1914 bushels per acre; on land not SUBJ
soiled, II bushels per acre"
This was carefully conducted and
thoroughly reliable test, and one that any
farmer can make for himself.
1t is easy to understand why subsoiling
is peculiarly well adapted to the. agricul-
ture of Nebraska when the conditions in
fuencing the growth of crops are ex-
ahmed In the first place, there is,
throughout most of the state, an annual
arabic portions of the country. Added
to this is very dry atmosphere and per-
iods of extreme heat accompanied by hot
winds which makes the rate Of evapora-
wet bulb thermometer, it is calculated
that the annual evaporation from a
water surface or 40 lncheS IN the eastern
part of the state and 50 inches in the
western part. This is about twice as
much as the annual rainfall in the east
ern portion and considerably more than
in the western portion. Such conditions
make it necessary to remove as far as
possible the opportunity for evaporation
from the soil. In order that the evapora-
ton shall be reduced to a minimum, it
is imperative that the water should soak
deeply and quickly into the soil; but to
do this the soil and subsoil must be loose
Hellriegel showed very clearly by ex-
pertinent the difference in the water
holding power between a loose and a
firmly compacted SOIL He took guam
fitx, of loa NV soil and after di,-idir1o IL