American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1911-03-25
in the development Of q ratlonal
nractice Of dry farming.

IL plant Crown pTOPo'
TRANSPORTATION? Do plants mat evan
crate much more water grow more
RAPIDLY than those that apora
less? These questions arose carry IN
the period characterized by an active
study OF Transportation. II transpira-
tion and growth vary together there
should be no special advantage In re-
ducinp the Transportation. From the
point of view of economy the import
ar question Is this; Does he plant
when it's rate of Transportation Is re-
duced. still grow with the same
yigor? II that be the case tneh
every effort should be made by the
farmer to control and to dimish the
rate OF Transportation.
One OF the earliest experiments on
TRANSPORTATION, conducted by WOOD
ward in 1899, showed that 1t requir-
ed less water to produce a pound OF
dry matter If the soil solution were
of the proper concentration and con-
tanned the elements necessary 1or
plant growth. Little more was done
to answer the above questions 1or
$50 years. Perhaps the question
was not even asked during the per-
lid. for scientific agriculture was
lust coming into being in countries
where rain fall was abundant. How
ever. beginning about 1878 the SUP
iect was Investigated by many care
full students and it was found that
less water is required to produce a
pound of dry matter when the soil
is fertile than when it is infertile.
and proper manuring of the SOIL
---.I4 % .voI,ron moro
plant substance with a given quaint
ity of water. 1t was further found
that if a soil is properly cultivated
so as to get free plant food and in
that way enrich the soil solution
the water cost of dry plant sub
stance in decreased. For instance,
the famous Rothamsted experiment
station reported that the experiment
had shown that during periods Of
drouth the we'll titled and well fertil
lied fields had yielded good crops.
while the unfertilized fields yielded
poor crops, or crop failures-indicat-
ing therSby, since the rainfall was
the critical factor, that the fertility
of the soil Is important in determin-
ing whether or not with a small
amount of water a good crop can be
produced. Pagnoul, working with a
hon crop in France some Is years
ago, found that On a poor clay soil
it required 1,1O9 pounds of water to
produce n pound of dry matter,
while on a rich calcareous soil only
STA pounds were required. Numer-
Gus other investigators have come to
the same conclusion. The most re-
| nnnf ~ m nnfo IL kHs- ~,If@ 800
Quoted by the Utah station with
typical dry farming soils confirm
these conclusions. The experiments,
which covered several years, were
conducted in pots filled with differ
net soils. On a soil naturally fer
tile 9O8 pounds of water were trans
pired for each pound of dry matter
(corn) produced. By adding to this
sol an ordinary dressing of man
ure. this was reduced to 613 pounds
and by adding a small amount of
sodium nitrate it was reduced to
5S5 pounds. If so large a reduction
could be secured in practice it woul
seem to Justify the use Of CONNER
clai fertilizers In years when the
dry farm opens with little water
stored in the soil. Similar results,
will be shown below, were obtained
Dy the use of various cultural me-
mods. 1t may, therefore, be stated
as a law, that any cultural treat
ment which enables the soil water
to acquire larger quantities or plant
FOOD, also enables the plant to pro-
duce dry matter with the use of a
smaller amount of water. In dry
1 FARMING whore tho 1ipt-- .x--
Is water, this principle must be en-
phaslzed In every cultural operation.
AT the present time the only near
possessed by the farmer for con-
trolling Transportation and making
possible maximum crops with the
minimum amount of water in a prom
erly titled soil, is to keep the soil as
lertlle as possible. In the light of
this principle the practices usually
recommended for storing of water
and for the prevention of the direct
evaporation of water from the soil
are emphasized. Deep and frequent
plowlng, preferably in the fall so
that the weathering of the winter
may be left to great depths and
strongly, is of first Importance in
llDeratlng plant food. Cultivation
which has been recommended for
the prevention of the direct evan
Grafton OF water is of itself an eff
receive factor in setting free plant
1000 n thus in reducing the
mount OF water required by
the plant. The experiments at the
Utah station. already referred to.
orlng out very strikingly the value
OF cultivation in reducing the trans
pllatlon. For instance, in a series
or experiments the following results
were obtained: On a sandy loan,
not cultivated, sos pounds of water
were transpired to produce one
pound of dry matter of corn; on
the same soil cultivated, only 252
pounds were required. On a clay
loan uncultivated. 535 pounds were
transpired for each pound of dry
matter. whereas on the cultivated
sou only 42S pounds were necessary.
On a CLAW soil NOT orlt;p,t- 49,