Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-08-18
Care Of the Summer Esllow,.

The season Of 1904 was a peculiar.
ly trying one for farmers on non-ir.
rigated farms. While the annual pre-.
cipitation in most places was nearly
as great as during other years, ii
came mostly in the form of heavy
SHOWS during the winter. AS a result
a great deal of the winter wheat sown
last fall failed to terminate from lack
of moisture.
Since the chief purpose in practic.
ing a system of summer following on
these dry farms is to accumulate suf.
able crop. it is important that this
giving returns each alternate year.
AS all of a growing plants food that
is taken from the soil must be distrib.
uted by means of water it is evident
that great deal of moisture is nee.
essary in carrying on the life func-
tons in the plant. 1t requires ap-
proximately 465 tons of water to pro-
duce one ton of dry matter in barley
and ST. tons of water 10 produce a
ton of dry matter in cloveh. After
this water has finished it's work as a
carrier in the plant, it is returned
to the air through the breathing pores
in the leaves and so is entirely lost
to the soil.
1t is evident that when fields are
allowed to go unused SO that they
may accumulate moisture supply,
weeds ought not to be permitted to
grow. They use and consequently
waste the moisture just as rapidly as
do economic plants, and while their
growth brings no returns they give of
the moisture that we are endeavvor-
ing to save.
Water in the soil that is of value
in plant growth is held much the same
as water is retained in a sponge and
the movements in both cases are iden-
teal. If sponge is placed in dish
of water and a cover is then placed
over the dish except that part of the
upper portion of the sponge is ex-
posed, the water in the dish will very
soon all be evaporated.
The tendency of the water is to
move from the wet to the dry place,
and as the dry place is at the surface
it is constantly moving upwards and
The same movement is noted in soil
dry and the water from the winter
SHOWS and spring rains which has
found it's way into the soil is con.
stantly moving toward the surface,
which has been dried by the sun and
wind and being evapOrated into the
air.
From the nature of the movement
of the water from particle to particle
it is evident that if the surface soil
is broken up and the upper layer of
particles loosened and removed from
one another so that the air will dry
out this portion of the soil, it will
be impossible for the water to escape.
This indicates the wisdom of keeping
the surface of our summer fallOwed
field constantly cultivated. After the
summer rains it is important to har-
row the ground as the rain packs the
surface particles and permits the wa
ter to rise and be evaporated. If this
packed surface is broken up the capil'
larry rise of the water is stopped and
the moisture is retained in the soil.
In seasons when most of the pre-
cipitation comes during the early part
of the year land that is constantly cul-
tivated will retain this early moisture,
and it will be present to terminate
the fall sown grains.
The important thing is to frequent
ly cultivate the summer fallowed
fields. This will keep down the weeds
and by maintaining a mulch on the
ground the moisture will be held and
thus accumulated for crop growth in
the fall. A. ATKINSON.