American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1911-01-07
SAVE SON MOISTURE


Dy W. C.. rALMER. North Dakota A.
~rtcuifueal Co1eeeel
Enough = now knowu ~ tho prtn-
cipIes of coil moisture Conservation
that sach . cas b. n -posseesion d
the secret Then aentn there II moth.
ing din cult OF myxterous about Il.
Il II : common ksowSedGs. that any
thing vet dries o. being exposed to
the air. The housewife makes use Of
this principle IN hanging out the
clothes to dry.
II II well known that oil moves up
through . wick. and that u the wick ID
cut the OF cannot pass over the gap.
Water viii act the same ~ the oil
and II moves through the soil In the
same nj that n dos through The
wick.
Keep In mind that . wet soil exposed
to the air win give up tfs moisture to
the air: that water moves from the
wetter portions to the drier soil n the
coil h compacted. which condition
compares TO the lamp wick: = loose
soil compares to the lamp wick that
10 cut and no the moisture cannot
mov through II.
The plant needs the moisture In the
furrow slice ~ that h where II does
most Of It's feeding. Notice the plant
growing In the dead furrow. II has
It's roots In the subsoii. The moisture
conditions should be better there thaa
In tho surface soil yet the plant does
not do 40 we'll. and due To . lack Of
available plant food. This mean that
. deep furrow slice viii offer more
feeding room for the roots than Z
shallow one. The sfurrow slice should
be packed firm against the bottom 70
~ to furnish the means tor the mois-
ture to pass from the sub soii to the
surface soil ~ the plant needs II. Tc
keep the moisture from passing TO the
surface and evaporstinG. the surface
soil should be kept lccee. = condition
known ~ the soil mulch.
Another reason for deep blowing n
TO furnish q large reservoir To take up
the rain fall readily. Shallow plowins
sannot take In rain as fast nor a. much
Of II ~ deep blowing. The proof OF
the value Of deep blowing 10 brought
out by the fact that II produces larger
Yields.
The soil mulch can be produced by
the common harrow. Crops are har.
rowed after they are up. grain b.
narrowed TIL Ave or SIX inches high,
and some are trying to harrow TIL II
heads out and with good results. The
narrowing Of grain or corn should
only be done on bright sunny days and
n o before TIN sun has been up three
or four hours. The plant whom wet
and In the morning aud on cloudy days
II more crisp and breaks up easier,
The mulch should be made ~ soon Al
the land 10 piowed. n II In not. con
siderable evaporation will take place
at once. Ia piowing DO not leave the
field before narrowing what was pillow
ed that half day.
A pillow attachment h now on the
market that ioosens up the surface II
the same time the blowing In done.
Another way In to hitch nm extra horse
To q section OF harrow when blowing
this does Il all at ono operation. too
In tho case OF spring blowing II may
be necessary 20 pack Il so as TO get the
bottom Of the furrow compact. Fall
blowing should be- narrowed as soou
as possible In tho sprtng as moisture
viii escape fast from the surface that
has been compacted during the win
ter.
Humus adds greatly to moisture
holding capacity Of the soil. acting like
aspopge or blotting paper. The pillow
Ing under Of green crops or weeds
when green AIDA humus. Applying
manure Ia one OF the beat ways OF ad
ding IL