The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-19
The Conservation of Moisture by Gull
tiVation.

That moisture can be conserved by fire.
quent cultivation is a fact not fully real
lied by many tilers of the soil and it Is
during spells OF drought, such as existed
recently in various parts of Louisiana and
other southern states, that the possession
Of this knowledge is of paramount impor-
lance, says the Picayune. Why this should
be is due chiefly to the fact that when
soil in dry weather is not frequently
enough cultivated, the minute capillary
tubes through which the water passes are
chat the water, passing up these small
channels without interference, passes
from the soil by evaporation. But when
the continuity of these little tubes is
broken the upward movement of the mois-
ture is checked. as in evaporation, and
hence the soil Is permitted 70 retain the
moisture which otherwise would be lost to
the soil by capillary and evaporation. On
this subject, Prof f. II. Brunette, horti-
culturist of the experiment stations, read
a very interesting paper recently before
the Central Louisiana agricultural society
at Baton Rouge. and from which we take
the liberty of taking few extracts: ANY
thing that hinders evapora ton Will con-
serve moisture. A shady place is general
ly a damp place; the suns rays cannot
penetrate and the evaporation is less ra-
pid Next to shade is a mulch. Any ma
terial that covers the ground around a
plant is mulch; it may be straw, saw
dust, or manure; or the soil itself may be
so treated as to become a sort of mulch.
The soil is generally well filled with mois-
ture, especially in its lower layers, and
leading down towards these there are mil
lions of microscopic tubes, too small to
F1,al 10 h foylax oil
which the particles of moisture travel in
order to reach the surface.
If the crop covers the ground, . APP
propriates the moisture as 1t comes and
gives il off in evaporation. If the crop
does not cover the ground, a large share
is given off Immediately to the air. A
shade or mulch at this time seems as a
check to the process of evaporation and
holds the moisture back. 1t is here that
cultivation may be so managed as to serve
as a mulch. When these little tubes be-
come ablished the evaporation is quite
rapid, and should a small-toothed culti-
Vator be run along, stirring the surface
soil thoroughly, the upper portion OF
these tubes becomes hopelessly mixed up
and DO not serve as a continuous pass
age thus checking the amount of evapo-
ration. A frequent shallow stirring keeps
them Ohe tubes) in this condition, and so
far as cultivation in itself goes a great
deal is done to conserve the moisture"
1t may be of interest to note the fact that
water rises to a varying degree of hight
dependent upon the character of the soil.
AS, for instance, in sandy soils it is said
to rise by capillarity twenty inches; in
loarny soils, thirty inches; in clay, thirty
to thirty-SiX inches, and in vegetable mat
ter, over sixty inches. The evident value
to plant life in dry weather of frequent
cultivation can hardly be over-estimated,
for the reasons we have just stated, viz:
Conservation of moisture through the
prevention of evaporation, by destroying
the continuity of capillary tubes.