The Dickinson press., 1910-09-24
CONSERVE MOISTURE IN SOIL
Plow and Harrow Are Important Fac.
tors In Saving Rain az It
Falls on Our Land.

(By w. c. PALMER. Agricultural Editor,
North Dakota College.) :
Weather is one Of the things that 10
looked upon as being beyond the reach
OF mans manipulation. and it is one
OF the important factors in crop pro-
duction. Experiments have been con
Quoted to try to make it rain, but end
ed In failure. 1t has been found that
the same end a be accomplished in
q different way, that is by saving the
rain that falls on u land and not
letting it escape except as the crops
need it. This is not as attractive a
way as the other one, which was to
be accomplished by the shooting of
cannons, the sending up of explosives
to startle the heavens. There is VT
SO much glamor attached to the Use
OF the pillow and the harrow, yet they
are mighty tools that are at the very
foundation of our existence and civila
cation, and as wish to advance and
on a substantial basis it will have to
come largely through the more intelli.,
gent use Of these two simple tools,
~ SAOy olS Iu0 OuCS We WILL USE III
controlling the weather.
AS the soil lays 1t compacts. The
particles making it up gradually AT
closer to each other, a good deal like
the +. bricks in the wall. Flowing
loosens up the soil, a good deal like
throwing bricks into q pile. The com.
pact soil does not allow the water that
falls as rain to soak in rapidly, and
some Of it will run of. If this run
of can be saved it will be the equiva.
lent OF making it rain. Deep blowing
makes more room for taking in rain
fall than shallow plow1ng: hence, one
reason for deep blowing. The plow.
ing, however, leaves the surface of the
soil so that some of the moisture al
ready in it will evaperate, and especi-
ally will this be true in the spring.
This can be prevented by narrowing
the soil as soon as it is plowed. When
blowing in the fall there usually ia
not much moisture in the soil, 80 it
Is best not to harrow it, as It is bet
ter to leave it rough to go through
the winter, unless a crop is to be put
on in the fall.
Prof. King of Wisconsin found that
as much as one-half to one inch Of
soil moisture might evaporate from
the plowed ground in the spring, so
that this would be the amount that
could be saved by narrowing, which
would be the equivalent of a rainfall
Of one-half to one inch a little later
In the season, as when the rain once
gets into the soil it can be held there
until the crops need it. narrowing
loosens up the surface, but when left
for some time, settles back again and
then allows the moisture to pass up
through the surface so that another
narrowing may become necessary.
The cultivation given corn is ideal
for saving moisture. While the corn
crops use as much moisture as any
crop, yet it leaves more in the ground
than grain crops on account of the cul-
tivation given it, which both keeps
moisture from evaporating and also
kills weeds, which would evaporate
large amounts of moisture. r
Moisture is the most uncertain part
of the weather. yet by using the plow
and the harrow it can to q large <
tent be controlled. Thus man is be-
ginning more and more to make use
of nature and to control it.