The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-05-20
MOISTURE AND THE SOIL
AT VARIOUS STAGES OF
THEIR GROWTH
DROUGHTs AND WET PERIODS
The Retentive Capacity of Soils and
the influence of Rains in Dis
solving the Mineral
Elements Used.

The selection of crop should not de-
pend entirely upon the price of a COM
modify in market or the distances Of
TRANSPORTATION, but consideration should
be given the character of the soil and
the best crops that should be grown
thereon for profit The amount Of moist
ure which soil may retain after rain
largely influences the crop, and as some
crops are planted early and others late,
and as certain plants also escape the
dry period Of summer by being planted
on the approach of fall such as turnips,
due consideration must be given these
matters. An English scientist gave years
of study to the absorption of retention of
moisture by plants, and found that more
depended upon the knowledge of the son
on the part of the farmer, and of the
conditions affecting crops, so far as each
particular plot wa sconcerned tnan upon
anything else, as no two fields are eX>
actly alike. When the land is we'll
drained il then differs from its previous
condition. When rain reaches the grounA
it makes it's way into the spaces between
the particles of soil and eXpels the air
as it fills the spaces. AS the water goes
down and is carried off by the drains
the air follows and takes the place of
the water. The rain is warmed in its
passage through the air and thus brings
warmth to the soil, while mere warmth
is brought by the air. The rain also dis
solves the soluble substances of the soil,
carries the plant foods down to the ROOFS
and regulates the mineral matters that
may have a tendency to rise tC the sur
face
RAINS AND MINERAL MATTER.
When the land becomes very dry the
plant foods are concentrated. There are
some substances in the sell that are,
to a certain extent injurious to plants,
and w fhf1p &c in
substances are diluted and rendered less
harmful. or the rain carries them off al
together beyond the influence of the
plants. The rain also brings down the
nitratos ammonia and other substances
existing in the atmosphere which become
foods for plants in the soil. The
farmer VINO knows something Of the
amount Of moisture which falls upon his
land during every month of the year
and who can also form some idea of the
retentive capacity of his soil better IN
derstands how to drain mis- land and
which crops viii thrive thereon to adj
vantage. The amount of rain which
passes through a soil depends upon The
amount of rainfall, the physical condi-
ton of the soil and the amount of evap-
grafton which occurs. The evaporation
VIII depend greatly upon the tenpera-
ture Of the air, and whether the land is
bare or occupied by a crop. The. re-
quirements of crop depend also upon
Its various stages of growth. When the
production of vegetable tissue is pro-
ceeding with the greatest vigor the de-
mand for water is greatest. This period
Of luXuriant leafy growth is more or less
determined by the quantity of water sup
piled and the moisture or dryness of the
season.
TOO MUCH MOISTURE.
There are times when too much or
too little water falls, but the farmer can
not control such conditions. Prof. Kinch,
Of England in a paper before the Chemi-
cal Society of London, who made four
teen years experiments in this direction,
finds that when plants arrive at the stage
Of seed production the presence of much
water in the soil Is injurious and may in
duence the quantity and quality of the
seed produced. At this stage when the
plant tissues are undergoing a period of
transformation rather than of production
of new matter, a dry season is desirable
In order to insure the best results in plant
development. 1t is not to be supposed that
long and continued periods Of drought
will accomplish the purpose, however. for
that would be an extreme in the other
direction On all farms there are wet
and dry fields, although both may receive
the same amount of rain Where the
farmer can partly control the situation
Is by the drainage, for then any excess
of moisture is sure TO be carried off, while
in dry periods the land will ga n moisture
from below by capillary attraction. the
air and warmth freely entering and less
evaporation occurring to chill the sur
face. Deep blowing and subsoiling may
be safely practiced where tile drainage
Is the rule. and there will be no danger
of plants being thrown out by sudden
freezing and thawing Of the plants in
early spring. Deep blowing permits OF
greater retention of moisture by the soil,
and the use of the cultivator during the
growing season, so as to keep the soil
covered with an earth mulch, will great
Iy conduce to regulating the supply Of
moisture.