The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1909-09-15
Loamy Soils

consists of washings are very often
| very rich and suitable for agriculture,
| but owing to the fact that they are
wet throughout the entire year they
are not made use of and no profit de-
rived therefrom. The problem of
draining lowlands is, of course, a diff
cult one, but one which should have
careful consideration and every posi-
bility exhausted before giving up the
drainage of same. There is seldom
to be found a piece so low as will not
permit of being drained. The tile may
not be laid so deep and may not serve
so great an area per number of tile
laid, but still it may be profitable to
drain it. By a careful survey of the
ground system may in most cases
be worked out which will prove salts
factory. When once drained, this kind
of land will be found immensely pro-
ductive and profitable. A piece of
ground which seemingly is "too low
should not be overlooked, but the con-
ditions should be studied and likely
it will be found highly profitable to
improve. Aeration
In order that the best conditions for
growth may be obtained, the soil
should have plenty OF air. This OBJ
viously cannot be the case where
there is an excess Of water The sew
eral canals and interstices in the soil
become filled with water and the air
is excluded. Under these conditions
the soil becomes stale, unsanitary and
unproductive, and in some instances
becomes swampy.
BY removing the excess water in the
ground so as to admit the surface
water, the soil is refreshed and i'm
bued with life-giving qualities. The
rain in falling collects very con-
| siderable amount of air and carries it
| into the ground, where it gives it to
the soil Thus it is readily seen that
the soil is continually moistened and
aerated, rendering it in fine condition
to support plant growth.
Plant Growth
There are three essentials to plant
growth which must be derived entire
ly, or in a large part-depending on
the plant-from the soil; namely, food
water and air. The food must be
present in readily accessible form, or
if not, conditions must be such that
it is being converted into such form
The principal agents in this process
of breaking up the fOOd-cOntaining
particles are air and water, and Meth
err can do it alone. Hence it may be
seen that an excess of one or the
other would be a hindrance. With
proper drainage there will be obtained
an intermittent, if not continuous,
action of these two agents in supply
ing the plant food in the necessary
to, Of
air will be excluded and the operation
stopped. Hence, it will be seen that
for proper supply of food there must
not be an excess of water, and the ex-
cess, if any, must be gotten rid of.
How? BY drainage.
Water is very necessary for plant
growth and must be supplied, but
never in excessive quantities Expert
ence teaches that a meager or seem
ingly insufficient supply of water is
very much less to be feared than is
| an excessive supply. This fact is
borne out by Investigations into the
methods of dry farming which is
being taken up so extensively in the
arid districts of our country. Here
we find what may be termed "eXces-
sive" drainage. The only moisture
remaining in the soil is that held by
capillarity or occluded by the small
soil particles. In order to retain this
small amount of water, special meth
| DDS of treatment are resorted to, chief
of which may be mentioned that of
keeping the surface loose so as to
reduce loss by evaporation to a mini
mum.
"While dry farming" is obviously
not suited to raising all crops, it has
proven very satisfactory for some,
| chiefly wheat. There are many m
stances where the yield averages
| 25 to 80 bushels, and some consider
ably more and as high as as to so