El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-08-27

A TIMELY subject for discussion
- would be: Which is the worst,
4 - a broken or UnbrOken, baked SOIL
surface; IN other words, which Is the
worst, crust or ciOds?'
As soil-mOisture escapes into the air
by means of capillaries in the SOIL
the kernel of the question would be:
which permits the more rapid escape
OF moisture, the crust intact or broken
into clOds?" If a clay-sOil. especially,
Is permitted TO bake after rain, would
prefer, think. to let ii alone and pray
for rain, rather than TO break io~lnto
clods. and pray for rain, not consider
ing my constitutional disinclination TO
work more than is necessary.
As soil-molsture escapes into the ar
through tubes or capillaries reaching
the surface. naturally anything OBJ
structing. or breaking up these al the
surface viii prevent the moisture from
passing out This accounts for the
moisture which, in 2 dry time, IS found
under a board. flat rock or other OBJ
structiOn TO the passage Of soil-mols-
ture into the air. Turning over log,
the reason moisture is fOund under II
is because 1T cannot get out
The soil mulch, by which is meant
fine surface. caused by shallow stirring
operates in the same manner as the log,
or other surface covering, 20 prevent
the escape of moisture from the soil
Keeping Moisture Down.
The extent, facility, and length Of
time that moisture may be held IN the
ground by surface stirring, are not only
Interesting and wonderful, but of the
most vital Importance as well, 10 the
farmer who would run his business
for all there is in =
Moisture may not only be held in the
after
the crops are growing. but winter, or
even fall season in the ground" may
be held till needed for planting In
deed since l began TO study and expert
ment with the soil-mulch, and since 1
have seen them, in the San Joaquin
valley. grow 20 bushels Of wheat per
acre. with a Is inch rainfall, my views
as 70 how much land farmer needs in
western Texas, have undergone some
modification-if he makes the most OF
the dirt-mglch.
when TO Mulch.
Ny soil at home. is what the govern
ment calls ''Norfolk, sandy loam," with
clay enough in it TO cause it TO bake
after rain With between 45 and 90
inches OF annual rainfall, fairly well dis
tributed. if l fail TO make a soilmulch
after rain, and as soon as the soil is
right TO stir, ] need rain in week,
like the Texan needed a gun on that
historic occasion. And if I do not get
IT in a week, 1 suffer loss, with no
way TO make it good
In other words, the mulch should
not only be made. but it should be
made at the right time In fact, a
soil-mulch cannot be made from baked
surface A baked surface makes clods,
and in my opinion clods are worse that
a baked surface
Ny foreman, this spring, got hard
rain upon a considerable acreage of
growing crops. He kept one hand all
the time. and I told him to begin as
soon as he could get into the dryest
field, and hire help enough to get over
the fields quickly. He said he thought
he and his man could do it fast enough
] told him I was afraid the last half
would bake on him. and that II would
be money in my pocket TO employ eX-
ira help at the right time. and after
the work was done for him and the
man TO go fishing the balance Of the
week, if they couldn't find anything
better to do.
The Failures.
We never got q drop Of rain for over
q month, a most unusual thing in east
ern Texas, but our crop did not suffer.
People however, who went fishing in
stead of blowing, or who turned the
feeding roots up to the sun and wind
with a Kelly plow-wel, their crops
look 'sorter draWed." as the cowboys
used 10 say of the COWS in q February
''Wet-norther"
Then. il 1 do not over estimate the
importance of the sOiI-mulch, in = re-
gion of heavy, annual precipitation,
how infinitely more important must il
be in sections where drouth is more
prevalent. And, in view of the wide
discussion of this subject, the last few
years. in and out Of print, the failure
of so many of our farmers to study and
practice the soil-mulch, seems strange.
It is not unusual, even in eastern Texas,
10 find fields flat-broi1en in the late
winter. and the surface left unfined till
planting time; when the moisture,
meantime, having gone into the air,
and no rain coming at the right time,
they wait for rain before planting
When they Go plant, they lose a lot Of
moisture benefit of which their crops
should have. Why farmers should wait