The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-18
DAILY, $40 A YEAR.
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WEEKLY 2-TIMES-A-WEEK 81 A YEAR
WATERWAVES OF THE. EARTH.
REMARKABLE Discoveries PER-
TANNING TO FARMING.

TANNING TO FARMING.
The Investigations Conducted by the
Division of Soils of the Federal
Department of AgricuIture-Cer-
tain Regions Where the RainfaIE
Is below the Average Escape the
Disasters Due to Drought by am
Upward Movement of Water FrOnH
Artesian sources.
Washington Nov. 1.-THE Division OF
Soils of the agricultural department.,
which was established a couple of years
ago. is conducting some of the most in
teresting experiments of the department.
Prof. Milton Whitney who is in charge
of the division, is engaged at present in
the investigation of the climatic conditions
of moisture and temperature in their res
lation to the local distribution of crops.
The work has a scope as broad as the
country. It will eventually embrace all
the soils and staple crops. and in It's re-
lation to the future of the country, when
crops must be specialized under the in
tensihed system of agriculture, which
must come to our farmers in a few years,
it promises TO be of the utmost economic
and practical value. It's practical utility
win be the determination of the normal
water contents of the different soils In
various portions of the country their ca
pacity for the absorption and retention
of moisture, with the amount Of moisture
required by different crops, together with
methods for ascertaining the point az
trrI,f fob I,n .
crops and the most feasible methods of
irrigation.
Thus far the investigation has covered
only truck soils in the east, tobacco soils
and an Investigation of western soils.
Some marvellous results have already been
obtained. 1t has been ascertained, for in-
stance, in the matter OF tobacco growing.
that tobacco wrappers, which are grown
on the light soils OF Connecticut, require
but per cent. of moisture, while the fill-
ers which are best grown on the heavy
soils OF Pennsylvania and Ohio, require
20 per cent.
The investigation OF wheat and the
actual amount of water required for its
maturity will follow next, and subse-
quently the data as to other crops.
The Investigation of the western soils.
made with the aid of the weather bureau,
which covers Lower California, the Sam
Joaquin valley, the Great Palouse district,
comprising the fertile wheat-growing dis
trlcts of California, Washington and
Montana, the yellowstone valley, the Red
river valley and also the Mograve and Me-
vada deserts, has developed some most as
founding facts and some which the de-
partment of agriculture is not yet able to
explain
Prof. Whitney says the history OF these
soils will make the most remarkable chap
ter in the history of the worlds agricul-
ture. Although these soils, excepting the
Red river ana desert districts mentioned,
have only from one-fifth to one-half of
the annual rainfall received by the terri
tory east Of the Mississippi river Chat Is
z to 20 inches) they seldom, IL ever, suffer
from drought
In the Mograve and Nevada deserts the
annual rainfall averages about 5 inches,
but beneath the akali crusts the soil Ia
always moist, fact which the scientists
have as yet been unable to explain. In
fact, little is yet known of the power of
the soils to hold water As artesian wells
show water In all these districts, from for
ty to 200 feet below the surface, 1t is cons
sidered possible that there is a slow and
continuous movement of water upward
from the arteslan sources which are be-
yond the influences of local climate. BY
placing electrodes in the soil in all These
places at various depths, from a few
inches to twenty-five feet, It is believed
in the future that the direction and in-
tensity of what might be termed the wa
terwaves of the earth can be accurately
determined.
The use of electrodes for determining
the moisture OF the earth has been quite
extensively employed In the east and, with
very satisfactory results.
In truck farming and garden work,
where cultivation is intense, 1t is believed
that the use Of these electrodes, which re-
quire but two or three ordinary cells for
their operation can be used with great
profit by those who are at all scientific In
their methods