The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1911-06-08
KEEP THE DIRT STIRRED
Special Dry Weather Instructions
TO Farmers From the State En-
pertinent Station.

During the dry weather that now
preyails,~says w. G, Lassetter of the
Arkansas State Experiment Station
il is imperative that special atten-
lion be paid TO the cultivation of all
crops. II cultivation is neglected
now, the amount OF moisture in the
soil may be decreased to such an ex-
tent thai the crop will be almost an
entire failure.
During season of low rainfall
plants are dependent for their wa
ter supply upon that water which
has been accumulated from the
winter and spring rains and is
stored up in the soil itself. So long
as the surface of the soil Is not
broken. the water rises from the
subsoil, through the small spaces
between the soil PARTICLES, and al
the surface it is evaporated by The
heat from the suns rays. This is {
constant force, called capillarity
which is continuously pulling the
water up from below, through these
small spaces. When these spaces
between the soil PARTICLES are made
larger the force OF capiIlarity is de-
creased. and when they are made
still larger this force disappears en-
tirely and the moisture is unable To
rise.
This is the object of cultivation
When a field is well cultivated to a
depth of three inches the spaces be-
tween the particles of soil in that
three inches are made so large that
the attraction disappears and the
moisture cannot rise through them.
Then that water already stored Up
is not lost through evaporation from
the surface OF the soil. but is held
at the roots Of the plants for their
use as they need it. This supply at
the roots is continually renewed
from below because the soil at that
depth is unbroken.
By cultivation the surface three
inches are completely dried out.
This serves TO make it all the more
impossible for the moisture from
below to rise through it. Cultiya-
ton to a greater depth than three
inches does not increase the saw
ing OF moisture, but in addition to
injuring and destroying The root
system of the plants, it diminishes
the feeding ground of the roots, and
is much more expensive than the
more shallow cultivation. The OBJ
jects of cultivation are to kill weeds
and to conserve moisture. Three
inches is entirely sufficient for both
purposes.
Not only should cultivation be
done as soon after all rains as the
ground will permit, but during the
dry weather il is most important
that 1t be done every week or ten
days at the most. During dry
weather the soil loosened up by cul-
tlvation will gradually settle back
together until the spaces are small
enough to attract some water
through, and the longer it is al
lowed TO remain unstirred the clos
er vii The particles settle eogetia- |
er ana the more rapid will the loss
OF moisture become. Fhequent
is necessary to keep these
sufficiently far apart.
Thus II is evident that it is most |
important that cultivation be prac-
heed often during dry weather.
when that moisture we have in the
soil is most needed for the crops.
Therefore during this period eulii-
fase to a depth of three or four
inches every week, and at most do
not let the intervals between Guilt
satlons be longer than ten days. By
close practice of this most of the |
u effects Of an ordinary drought
IAN be avoided.