The Raymer enterprise., 1911-12-07
SAVE SOIL MOISTURE
Reservoir Must Be Prepared to
Receive the Rain.
Water Carried Into subsoII Must Be
Brought Back to Surface Where
Seed Is terminating and
Young Roots Growing.

30 FAR as cultivation Is concerned
there are three principal steps In the
conservation OF soil moisture:
/. The soil must be loosened to
considerable depth In order to prepare
reservoir to receive the rain and
carry the water downward into the
soil. This may be accomplished by
deep plowlng, by listing. or by disking
unplowed lands.
2. The water which Is carried down
into the subsoil must be brought back
again into the surface soil where the
seed Is terminating and the young
roots are growing. and to accomplish
this good connection must be made
between the furrow-slice and the sub
soil. and this is the purpose In the use
OF the subsurface packer Immediately
after plowing.
3. Finally. In order that the water
which is drawn up again towards the
surface may not reach the air and be
wasted by evaporation. the upper two
or three inches OF the soil must be
kept mellow in the form of soil
mulch. and this. is accomplished in the
growing OF crops, by frequent cult
walton, which is not SO practicable
with wheat and other small grains as
with corn and other intertilled crops.
The most important step In soil
moisture conservation Is to get the
water into the soil. When this has
been accomplished. the keeping 1t
there and returning II gradually to the
growing crop is relatively simple
matter. Many farmers have yet failed
to learn this most important fact Of
dry farming. that the storing Of the
moisture in the soil is the first and
great principle OF soil moisture conser-
vation. The frming and pulveriz!ng
OF the soil to prepare the seed bed,
and the surface cultivation Of the soil
TO maintain the mulch, are each with
out avail unless there has been stored
In the deeper soil sufficient amount
OF moisture TO support the growing
crop In time OF drought.
Now the moisture should be stored
at all times during the season. but
especially during the interval between
harvest and planting. This requires
early plowing go that the soil may be
In condition to catch the rain and ab.
sorb It.
In order that there may be room to
receive and store n heavy rain. deep
plowing is desirable II plowing can
not be done early. the cultivation Of
the unplowed land with a disk harrow
will keep the soil In good plowing con.
dition longer and favors the absorp.
ton OF rain.
A good rule, but 1t cannot always be
followed. Is to plow when the soil Is In
such condition that 1t will drop from
the moldboard In a mellow, friable
condition.
Deep plowing should be done with
pui ipObc anu lutcIilkeuCe.
Loosening the soil by deep plowing
favors the absorption OF moisture, but
II rains do not come In time such land
will suffer from drought more quickly
than though It had been plowed shall.
low.
The loose soil dries out and capil.
larity is broken. preventing the fur
row.slice from receiving moisture from
the subsoll rapidly enough to sustain
the growing crop. The depth and fire.
quency OF plowing should vary accord
Ing to the nature OF the soil. A light
or sandy soil requires less depth Of
plowing and less frequent plowing
than heavy, or compact, clayey or
"gumbo" soil.
As general proposition, plowIng
should be shallow when II precedes
planting only short time.
Plow deep in the fall. and plow deep
for summer fallow.
A long interval between plowing and
seeding allows the soil to settle sufii.
ciently, while freezing and thawing
mellows the raw, hard subsoil which
has been brought to the surface.
The relative depths OF plowlng may
be stated as follows:
Shallow plowing ................3 to I inches
Medium plowing...............5 TO inches
Deep plowing ...............,.f to s inches
Flowing deeper than eight inches
with the common plow Is not usually
practicable, but the soil may be stirred
twelve to eighteen inches deep with a
deep tillage plow or subsoll plow, and
In heavy soil with hard compact sub.
soil such deep stirring may occasional.
ly be desirable.
When land is allowed to lie for n
considerable period after plowing be.
fore the crop is planted, the settling Of
the soil. together with the surface cul.
tlyation to preserve the mulch and the
cementing due to rain. usually causes
the soil to repack and firm up to a
sufficient extent to make q good seed