The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1911-02-02
SAVE SOIL MOISTURE
There Is Nothing Difficult or Mys-
terious About II.
In Dry Season II Makes Difference
Between a Crop and No Crop
Many Benefits Of Deep
FurroW Slice.

CBy w. c. PALMER. North Dakota Ag-
Ticuitural College,
Enough is now known OF the prin-
ciples OF soil moisture conservation
that each one can be in possession of
the secret. Then again there Is moth
ing difficult OF mysterious about II.
II is a common knowledge, that any
thing wet dries on being exposed to
the air. The housewife makes use OF
this principle in hanging out the
clothes to dry.
1t is well known that oil moves up
through a wick. and that II the wick is
cut the oil cannot pass over the gap.
Water will act the same as the oil
and II moves through the soil in the
same way that II does through the
wick
Keep in mind that a wet soil exposed
20 the air will give up It's moisture TO
the air; that water moves from the
wetter portions to the drier soil Il the
soil Is compacted, which condition
compares to the lamp wick; a loose
soil compares TO the lamp wick that
Is cut and so the moisture cannot
move through IT,
The plant needs the moisture in the
furrow slice as that is where II does
most Of its feeding Notice the plant
growing IN the dead furrow. II has
its roots in the subsoil. The moisture
conditions should be better there than
in the surface soil yet the plant does
not do so well, and due TO a lack Of
available plant food This means that
n deep furrow slice will offer more
feeding room for the roots than a
shallow one. The furrow slice should
be packed firm against the bottom so
as 10 furnish the means for the mois-
ture to pass from the sub soil to the
surface soil as the plant needs It. To
keep the moisture from passing to the
surface and eyaporating. the surface
soil should be kept loose, a condition
known as the soil mulch.
Another reason for deep plowing is
TO furnish a large reservoir to take up
the rain fall readily. Shallow plowing
cannot take in rain as fast nor as much
OF 1t as deep plowing. The proof OF
the value of deep blowing is brought
out by the fact that It produces larger
| yields
The soil mulch can be produced by
the common harrow. Crops are har.
rowed after they are up, grain can be
narrowed till five or six inches high,
and some are trying TO harrow till II
heads out and with good results. The
narrowing OF grain or corn should
only be done on bright sunny days and
not before the sun has been up three
or four hours. The plant when wet
and in the morning and on cloudy days
is more crisp and breaks up easier.
The mulch should be made as soon as
the land is plowed. II II is not, con.
siderable evaporation will take place
at once. In plowing do not leave the
field before narrowing what was plow-
ed that half day.
/ A plow attachment IS now on the
market that loosens up the surface al
the same time the plowing is done.
Another way is to hitch an extra horse
to a section Of harrow when plowing
this does it all at one operation, too
In the case of spring plowing II may
be necessary to pack 1t so as to get the
bottom of the furrow compact. Fall
plowing should be narrowed as sooT
as possible in the spring as moisture
will 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
a sponge or blotting paper. The plow
ing under of green crops or weeds
when green adds humus. Applying
manure is one OF the best ways of sd
ding IT,