Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-04-20
State Normal Illustrates How
Schools May Teach
These Topics.
TO STORE AND KEEP WATER.
The Flowing. CuItIxating, Seeding and
Crops Suitable For Arid West.
crn Lands.

: SUI ailu plaiC Ine SEEDS, ana explained
why plants thrive when furnished with
.. full and continuous supply of soil
moisture, The working UP of the soil
70 adihl' the air necessary for soil VEN
tliatlon and az the Same time TO take
care that the soil is not thereby too
mueh dried out; the necessity for plow-
ing ana oNerturnlng the soil before
painting to get rid OF most of the free
water IL may contain; the plant re-
qulrefnent OF soil warmth. of a plentiful
supply of food from earth finely pul-
Verl2ed and the general conditions for
good seed bed, were subjects flus-
trated m the field by the planting OF
trees and seeds In the class-rooms,
Win an equipment of a handful OF a
dry soil ON 4 sheet of paper and n
ishs tof each pupil, the lower grades
NAG no dlihculty in finding out what
SOIL is commonly composed of.
THE METHOD.
FIRST We take the class out into the
garden, and work up the pIowed soil
lot seeding This Is done by breaking
up an clods and sods until the plowed
part Tor depth OF six inches is loose
ana me Now we explain why the soil
| has to be loosened, softensd, and made
tine, SO that it Will be warm. NOT loo
wet nor too cold for the baby plants.
! winch otherwise could not grow They
must have plenty of food. water and
alr! which they cannot get If soil is
|
must breathe, and must take In its
1000 dissolved in water. rhe only
water that the baby plant can drink Is
mat which rises through the soil not
mat which lies around on top OF the
soil or soaks into IT, The flow of The
water which the baby plant can use
IS shown by this expe rment. get a |
lamp wick and two vessels; fiji one with 1
wafer dip the lamp wick into il and let |
II hang into the other vessel. Let the
u.PalAtus stand In the room all day.
ana the water will creep into the empty |
vessel I'LL II stands al the same height
IN Doth lust as the lamp wick trans
1ers The water from ONE vessel to the
other, the soil draws up the water
rom beneath and holds it In tiny drops
IN the little spaces among tho soil
grains, These little drops the baby
plaht can drink Notice the flowerpot
~ the window. We pour water into
the saucer beneath, and it rises. drawn
up py me soil TO the roots of our
Hover plant Get several small bottles
one Tor each pupil and fiji them with
dry SOIL. Have each pupil test the
son petween his fingers TO discover
that 1t Is composed OF three parts
loose rough grains; fine, smooth parti-
cles, and soft, loose material. Look at
q SOIL grain through a lens Ii is like
q small stone. Show several stones from
the brook, OF river bed, ground and pol- .
isned smooth, with the corners all worn
US ASH eaCn pupil TO pick up such
stones Explain how the stones becon,e
50 much worn down. Look again at ths
grains OF sand with the lens. Most 81
them are worn and rounded like the
brook PEBBLES, because the sand has
peeh carried by the water. ana its parti-
eies nave rubbed against each other
TN they have worn off the CORNERS
Tell the pupils to look at the ditrhes
now. and observe how the stone nony
the sand grains, and the leaves 20
swimming ana take long journeys in the
running streams The strentns ars
the carriers. They lay the soil down
again when they overflow or when they \
flow more slowly
IN these simple ways I'll pupils tested Il
the soil and discovered that it is COM
poseu OF rough particles Csand) OF fine
PARTICLES tclay, called by them 'sions IA
Hour and of loose soft materials
minus and organic matter). They
earned how the stone Gour and -be
'and occome food for plants by being
issolVed IN water; how the various ma
erals travel In the streams and settle
n lake or valley: how water rises In
he soil as oil does in a lamp wick etc
Then arose difficulty. The statements
n the books apply mainly to eastern
ands and to- humid climates. II be-
anne necessary. therefore, to supple 81
lent their doctrines with the special
arlattons necessary In the west in the
TO-
DRY FARMING.
western soils are naturally fertile.
hey contain an abundance OF plant
BOD, which may be made available If
atef can be stored in the soil Usually
lere Is sufficient rain and snow-f fall in
inter to produce fair CROPS ON the dry
'll, even when no rain falls during the
rowing season, provided, however, M
Vat the winter moisture can be stored.
or irrigated farms. We store water In
'servoirs somewhere above the lands
De irrigated For dry farms, we X
ore water I'm soil reservoirs beneath hi
70 surface OF the land. All thai Is
'cessaTy In order to do this, is 20 have
uniform soil OF sufficient depth, say
feet or more before reaching har1
N or imperviouS clay or porous gray FL
SOIL alternately clay. sand. graV-
etc. Is not good for dry farming. A
inner soil than six feet Will hold the
lter but 1t will get too hot if tho Ia
lter Is kept, say within 12 inches or 81
0 surface by n hardpan at that depth. u
10 water must sink 20 considerable ~
pth i'm order that 1t may be drawn up
the plants as needed. b
FORMS OF SOIL WATER.
soil water exists In three forms. Tho
q form Is known AS free water ~
iich Is water occupying the largest
aces between soil particles Free "a
ter either flows through tho soil or "a
-nds In IT, But when the free water III
YES. II always goes downward. being ~
ltTOlled by the force OF gravity, WI
on when tbs free water moves later vi
Y. II Is seeking a lower level and n
reforo also moving dOwnwaTds Free III
Ter rs not used directly by plants III
only as II supplies capillary water
we II IN the soil. The second form II
called capillary water This liz a IN
I film ~ moisture which surrounds Ia
| is held close 10 each soil grain by n
eslOn- II IL that proportion Of the III
! water upon which the force OF add XII
lon Is greater than the force OF III
witty, II may move through the soil
any direction and always goes to- E
a the drost places whether they be
vc, or below or upon one side
OF CAPPILLARIrY.
N a small portion OF dry sponge
water Observe that the water
ledlatcly rises 10 It's most distant Nj
IS, The water Is drawn into the III
zee az oil into a lamp wick, by Inc M
e called capillary attraction, The
Her tho openings the farther the
or viii rise as may be shown By 4
ing glass tubes having different J
n.