The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-06-15
BY ISAAC L. TOTEM.

Last season during the month of
April it rained almost continuously.
and during the month of May the
weather conditions were just the oppo-
site.
If we could only have had that mois-
ture of April distributed over the
Month of May and the months that
followed our corn crop would have
locked quite different, our clover
would not have been burned out and
our oats crop would have been consid-
erably improved.
This year again we have had an
abundance of rain so far, and the in
dications seem to point to much dry
weather later on. In fact we have had
d little experience similar to that of
last year.
How many of us are going to profit
by the lesson which the dry weather
teaches?
Can we not use to advantage some
CT the moisture conserving methods
employed in the dry farming districts?
The answer is that We can
Let us tell our experience on our
little patch 80 far this season:
We have two acre plot in which
the soil is all of the same general
consistency.
One acre of the plot has been we'll
fortified with stable manure for sew
eral seasons; the other acre has had
practically no stable manure applied
on it at all.
Commercial fertilizer has been used
on both acres in equal quantities.
Both acres are fairly well under
drained.
After the heavy rains of the spring,
the water stood on the acre that has
not been treated to stable manure
while the other acre has had no water
standing on it for any great length of
time after the heaviest of the rains.
Inasmuch as both acres of the patch
ere on a level, it is quite evident that
the difference in the physical condi-
ton of each acre has something to do
with the affects of the rainfall on the
soil
The acre that has been treated to
The barnyard manure seems to remain
in good filth no matter what the wealth
or conditions are.
If it rains hard the water soon
soaks into the well MANFRED acre.
On the other acre, however. rain
seems to pack the ground so that the
water cannot soak in; and, conse-
quently runs over the surface cutting
out little channels or stands to form
hard glazed crust which causes the
ground to crack as soon as the sun
comes out to dryaup the water.
Comparing these two acres shows
quite clearly and forcibly what humus
Goes toward placing soil in good filth
for all kinds of weather conditions.
The soil of the acre that contains
the humus remains loose and crumbly
all the time, and it not only readily
takes in the moisture, but it retains it
longer than the other acre that does
not contain the humus.
We find that in working the two
parts of the patch that the one acre
works up nicely so that we can pro-
duce a good mulch which is absolutely
necessary to hold the moisture, while
the other acre has a tendency to be
lumpy which requires considerable
work to form the mulch.
Although the acre that contains lit
tie humus is the wettest right after the
rains it becomes the dryest during
the hot dry weather.
We are all we'll aware that there is
enough moisture gets into the soil
during the winter and spring months,
which, if retained would be sufficient
TO grow the crop.
The problem is, how to hold that
moisture in an available form through
out the growing season.
The experiences. of many others as
we'll as our own experience shows that
it can be done if there is plenty of
humus in the soil, if it is properly I'M
derdrained, and if there is a good soil
mulch maintained while the crop is
growing.
1t is estimated that it requires about
four hundred pounds of moisture to
produce one hundred pounds of dry
vegetation.
And it is a we'll known fact that
plants must have their food in a liquid
form.
There may be an abundance of plant
food elements in the soil vet If these