The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1912-02-29
DRY FARMING SOILS
Addition Of Humus Does Not In
I crease Availability Of Water.
70 Secure Greatest Benefit BARNARD
Manure Should 30 Applied In
email Amounts and At Rath-
Or Frequent Intervals.

That the addition Of humus to the
'0oll In the dry-farming regions does
not increase the availability OF water
IN the ground and that Misunderstanding
materiAl-barnyard manure, straw,
leaves. or other vegetable matter
should be added to tho soil frequently
In small amounts, are conclusions
drawn from experiments recently con-
Quoted at the experiment station OF
the state Of Washington, says the
Country Gentleman
The basis OF the experiments was
coil taken from the dry-farmIng sones,
one cubic foot OF which, without
humus, weighed eighty pounds and
was capable Of absorbing and retain
Ang. without drainage, 26 per cent OF
Its weight of water. OF the wstsr. only
las pounds could be taken UP by
plants, willing occurring when a cubic
foot OF the soil held but 80 pounds OF
water. Seventy-s1x pounds of this
soil was mixed with four pounds OF
humus, the soil being capable OF hold
ang 10 pounds OF water, and the humus
four-that is, 100 per cent OF its
weight. cubic foot OF the humus-
bearing soil retained % pounds OF wa
ter. while similar amount OF soil
without humus held but 20 pounds.
Forty per cent. Of the water held by
the humus -1.6 pounds-and BOA
pounds held by the soil were unavail-
able to plants.
Since In one cubic foot OF soil with
out humus, containing 20 pounds OF
water, but 1853 pounds We're availa BILE
for the growth Of plants, in tier OF
three cubic feet Of soil 5O.4 pounds OF
water were available for plants. 70
make this amount of water available
In three cubic feet OF soil without hu-
mus volume OF water foot square
and IL inches deep was required, the
amount available--5O.4 pounds-being
equal to 81 inches OF the depth indi-
Gated
With these facts In mind the next
! problem was to ind how many inches
OF water would be available to plant
growth when i've per cent. OF hunus
vas put into q cubic foot OF soil. In
the DEMONSTRATING soil, - stated, from
- pounds Of moisture retained 1885
pounds were available for the use OF
plants. It was found that the soil
containing humus absorbed a greater
amount OF water than did the soil
without humus, two and threefourths
cubic feet OF the former holding as
much water az had been retained BY
three cubic fest, OF the silt Since
1886 pounds OF water were available
for the growth of plants in cubic
foot of the humus-Iadeu soil, two and
three-fourths cubic feet held 6O.49
pounds Of available watsr-or . vol
ume q foot square BY 81 inches deep.
Hence, with no humus in the soil, 81
inches of the given volume had been
available for plants, and with humus
added In the amount indicated, 9.71
inches OF the same volume were avail
able.
Said Prof. Clark c. Thorn, In dis
cussing these results: In all cases
where humus is added to the soil wa
ter is held nearer the surface and is
therefore more easily evaporated.
Five per cent of humus-which Is as
much as is likely to- be added-does
not increase the availability Of mOts-
ture and is of no direct benefit In this
respect; indeed, 1t may even be detrt'
mental in that it holds the moisture
nearer the surface, where 1t Is more
quickly evaporated.
The beneficial results OF humus are
In creating a new supply Of plant food
and 1t is always advisable, even i'm
perative, that hun1us be present in
the SOIL Clays are opened up by it.
washing Is prevented and nitrogen Is
supplied.
1T is a common experience among
farmers who add great amounts OF ma
nure to their land to observe on the
following year that the crop burns
where the fertilizer was supplied, The
reason for this Is obvious. The ma
Inure they have added Is able to re
tain its own weight in water, or prac
t1cally so. and this amount 1t at once
IAOSOrDS from Lu0 SOll VI LAC eSAAouAs
absorbed, however, only about sixty
mar cent. is available for the growth
Of plants, the rest being locked up
Hence the following year the soil Is
actually dried out by the manure
and burning results But the second
year will show benefits from the use
of the fertilizer, since 1t has by this
time stored up its 40 per cent re-
serve, retaining this amount OF mo1s
iture in excess OF what would other
wise be present in the ground.
1T is thus made plain why farmers
Should not dump great amounts OF
harvard manure on their land at in
teryais of from three to ten years, as
some do To give the greatest beneh'
the manure should be added In small
amounts and at more frequent inter
walls"
Dry Farming Requires Work.