The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-02-10
A Visit to a Nearby King
dom.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.


lost if this or some other method OF
stopping the upward flow of the water
be not adopted depend, of course partly
upon the size of the soil kernels and
particles For instance where our
friend, Professor King, placed three
kinds of soils in cylinders supplied with
water from below but with upper ends
open and exposed to the air, it was
found that, in 100 days, the sandy
loans lost 7415 tons of water per acre
while the clay loans lost, in the same
time, 2,414 tons of W alter per acre. The
average rainfall in Central Michigan
for the growing months, May to Octo-
Der inclusive, is not far from 1000 tons
of water per acre and for the whole
year, not far from $500 tons per acre.
Part of the winter rain and snowfall
never gets into the earth but runs over
the surface into the creeks and rivers
thus doing no good to the growing crop.
1t may not be safe to reckon on more
than 1000 tons per acre of water posi-
bly, available to crops. 1t is evident
therefore that from the unplowed sur
face of clay loan field an AMOUNT equal
to the entire available supply might be
evaporated by the sun and wind in 100
consecutive days in May, June and July.
When Professor King stirred up the
surface to the depth of one inch only
the loss of water was reduced to 1882
tons per acre on the sandy loans and
1, 300 tons per acre on the clay. Stirring
to the depth of two inches still farther
reduced the losses to 1898 tons per acre
on the sandy loan soils and 979.7 tons
on the clay loans, a saving of more
than half. The experience of many
farmers supports the wisdom of the
practice of thus going over such bare
fields as corn stubbles with these stirring
tools where the blowing must be de-
layed 1t does not take long since these
harrows are wide and cover much land
in an hour When the blowing is done,
later, it will be found that where the
land has thus been narrowed, it is still
moist and plows easier besides breaking
up into finer Jumps, much more easily
reduced to the proper fineness for per-
feet seed bed.
This same practice of preventing the
escape of moisture by breaking the
water films, at some distance below the
surface, must be continued with the
hoed crops such as potatoes, corn or the
garden vegetables. In the spring when
the crops are small with roots not filing
all the upper foot of soil, the cultivation
should be deepest and most frequent.
Then too, weeds are most easily killed.
Early in the season the depth of cultiva-
ton may safely be three inches as this
depth is more effective in stopping the
loss of water than shallower treatment.
Later, when the roots of the crops are
filing the surface foot of the ground,
the cultivation may well be shallower
Sometimes farmer will haye Guilt
waited his field leaving the surface three
inches mellow, with soil kernels so far
apart as to break all connection between
them as far as water films are concerned
Then there will come a heavy thunder
storm. The pounding of the falling
rain drops and the soaking of the top
soil will force the kernels together and
renew the connection of the water films.
AS soon as the rain stops the soil begins
to dry. After day or possibly two
days. the very surface inch Of soil will
be simply crust, with all particles al
most glued together. From such a
crust the loss of water is very rapid
indeed. Not only will all the water
that has soaked into the soil from the
shower be brought again to the surface
and thrown into the air. but the fact
that the water films are again connect
ed will make it possible for the water
that was in the ground before the
shower came to escape and thus sum-
mer shower may actually dry out the
soil rather than add to the water supply,
if the farmer be not wise enough to pre-
vent such disaster, by cultivating the
field again as soon as the ground is dry
enough after the shower. 1t does seem
foolish to cultivate field again inside
of week, perhaps, that was we'll Guilt
waited just before the rain and on which
there is not a single weed showing it.
self, but it is the best thing to do.
Otherwise there is certainty that the
water needed by the crop will be dried
out into the air.
Even the oat and barley fields may
become crusted over after the grain is
sown. In such cases it is often wise to
run harrow over them to break the
connection of the water films at some
point far enough below the surface to
prevent the loss of water. The harrow
may destroy some of the growing grain,
it is true, but the benefits coming from
the saving of the water will usually be
found to far outweigh the losses of
growing plants. When the surface
soil is very dry, roller may be used in
place of the harrow to advantage, for
such treatment of fields of these small