St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-09-13
FARMER AND PLANTER.
GUARD AGAINST DROUGHT.
Importance of REGULAR Water Sum
ply to Growing Crops Can Not
Be Overestimated.

The Importance Of regular water
supply to growing crops is due to two
facts. First, plants secure little
moisture directly from the air, and
yet water is the life, the blood Of the
plant. Practically the entire supply
must he obtained from tho soil
through the action Of the roots. Sec
ond, all soil food enters the plant in
solution, the plant always drinks,
never eats, and water is the indispen-
sable solvent.
Most of the water thus entering
the plant IL evaporated from the
leaves, the quantity being enormous.
A crop of corn requires about thirty
six times its weight in water during
its growing period and an acre of
cabbage will evaporate five million
pounds in the same time. So indis-
pensable is the sufficient supply OF
water to the plant that slight de-
ficiency is noted by wilting,and if the
demand is not made good or the wilt
ing continues whitening and death
follow.
Not only do crops exhale enormous
quantities of water, but evaporation
from the surface of the soil goes on
constantly wherever the air is dryer
than the soil, which is practically Ut
all times except during rains.
In all soils there is at some depth
a permanent and inexhaustible sup
ply of water. This water constantly
rises to the surface by capillary &C.
ton and is then not only adequate
but available.
To protect the crop from drought
all that is necessary is to prevent the
waste Of this water supply by stop
ping its escape into the air. Mulch
ing effectively does this, but 1t is not
practicable over large areas.
The principle or law controlling the
movement of soil waters, however,
furnishes the means for accomplish
ing the desires end, namely, checking
evaporation.
The upward movement Of water de-
ponds upon the compactness Of the
soil-the closeness together of its
particles. The closer the particles
the more rapidly and quickly water
moves from one to the other till the
surface of the soil is reached. The
greater the distance between soil
particles the greater difficulty Of the
movement and the smaller the guam
tity of water moving.
Therefore in times Of drought
when water is needed and the supply
in the soil should be husbanded, the
plow and all implements stirring the
lower arabic soil, or bringing it to
the surface where it dries, should b,
sedulously kept from the field.
Not only this, but since thorough
pulverization of the surface soils rem
ders the same more porous and the
particles farther apart, so that the
movement of the water is checked,
frequent shallow surface cultivation
with the weeder, cultivator or sweep
should be practiced, and the result
will be to stop evaporation of soil wa
ter and the holding of the same be-
meath the fine ''dust blanket" pro-
duced on the surface, through which
the water can not pass and escape in
to the air and be lost to the crop.
The amount of water thus shown
to be daily saved to an acre Of soil by
shallow cultivation has in careful ex-
periments appropriated 100 barrels.
Was there ever q drought so severe |
that this amount of water given to
the crop daily would not have rem
dered good harvest certain? The
method requires no new tools, but |
simply the reversal of a common
practice. It is universally followed |
by thousands of successful farmers,
but it is too frequently neglected
where the idea of the use of the pillow |
has descended from generations of |
cotton growers to whom it was chief
~ a weapon for fighting grass.-H. E.
in Farm and Ranch.