Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-12-20
Soil Expert Tells of the
Modern Farming Methods
w. E. Taylor of Moline Discusses Subject Which Is Of
Greatest Interest to Many of the
Readers of The Courier

face soils and fertility during neaVy
showers. A roony seed bed serves as
reservoir to catch and retain water
until it percolates into the deeper sub
soil. Hence, for many reasons the
seed bed should be deep, a condition
accomplished by blowing and filling
deep
The process Of deepening the seed
bed should be gradual, for the reason
that sub-soils or soils not rich in
humus are not productive, but are
made rich by adding manure with each
blowing or turning a green crop OF
some kind, preferably clover, COW pea
vines or soy beans.
Atmospheric Oxygen.
This gas is as necessary to plant
roots as it is to man or animals, and
If it does not exist in the soil the
plant will perish. Soil PARTICLES have
irregular surfaces, preventing a close
contact This condition is not acct
dental, but wise provision for the
express purpose of permitting the cir
culation of air and the passage of wa
; ter and minute hair-like roots. The
spaces also permit the escape of nox-
ious gases, the result Of plant root ex-
cretions and organic decomposition. If
/ from any cause the air spaces become
clOgged the phenomena of life is
stopped If the soil becomes sur
!! charged with water to such an extent
that the seed bed Is saturated with wa
ter, the air spaces are filled and the
air is driven out. Tile drainage or
bitches will remedy the condition. If
the excessive amount of water in the
surface layer of soil Is due to hard
pan, which prevents It from moving
downward, deep blowing or sub-soiler
will relieve the condition. If the
ground is naturally low and soggy,
drain tile is the surest and best means
to adopt, for the reason that the tile
not only carries off water, but through
them air is admitted. Drain tile al
ways improves the physical condition
Of the seed bed and usually the in
crease of production in one or two
c1ops will pay the cost of the tile.
Water.
Water Is indispensable to growing
crops, and how to control the supply
farmer. Too much or too little is dis
astrous to the growing crop Proper
methods, however Will reduce the dan
ger of damage to minimum. An over
abundance can be taken care of by
bitches, tile, and deep tillage, but in
sections where the annual rainfall Is
abnor4nally low, the problem of stor-
ing a sufficient amount to provide for
the crop during protracted drouths is
serious question. To make the oper'
alton of storing. preventing the waste
and natures process of consuming wa
ter will offer the following explana-
ton
Soil water exists in three forms:
(D Hydrostatic or gravitational
water.
(2) Capillary water
co Microscopic water.
Hydrostatc Water.
Hydrostatic water is the water that
alls on the surface from rains or by
irrigation. 1t gravitates into the deep
-.r sub-soils through cracks, worm
loles and through air spaces. If the
soil Is compact and the movement
slow, the air spaces are filled and If
the congestion remains too long the
plants die, as is often seen in fields of
grain, or any crop where water has
stood for few days in a low place.
Capillary Water.
Capillary water is the moisture that
sustains the plant. The water is first
stored in the deeper sub-soils and by
natures process, called capillary at
traction, it moves upward passing from
soil particle to soil particle until it
reaches the surface where it is used
by the plant roots to sustain the plant
or tbs lost by evaporation. This
process is perfect If the seed bed is
! so made that the particles OF soil are
in close proximity aud the circulation
OF air is free. IT, however, air spaces
exist in the seed bed, so that the par
ticles of soil are not in close contact,
the movement Of water stops.
Two things stop the movement or
capillary water, and 1t is up to the
farmer to so till his soil that the alb
normal conditions will not exist. The
two conditions are.
% Trash on the surface, such as
weeds, stubble, corn stalks or coarse
manure.
GU Jumps in the body or on the
bottom of the seed bed
Trash turned under is responsible
for more crop failures or short crops.
especially dry years, than all other
der prevents compact soil contact
between the furrow slice and the bot
tom of the furrow. The result is. large
air spaces and when the capillary wa
ter reaches the break, it stops, and the
seed bed dries out.
Jumps in the seed bed produce prac-
tically the same condition. There is
but one good, sure remedy; that is,
disc all the trash we'll into the ground
tefore it is plowed and disc the
ground thoroughly after it is plowed
and in semi-arid regions make the seed
bed more compact by using sub
surface packer
Mr. Farmer. The disc harrow is
safe insurance policy against loss;
whether you farm in { humid section
or in the sem-arid regions, you cannot
afford to ignore discing before and af-
ter blowing. With 1t you make avail
able soil water regardless of drouths.
and you increase the feeding area Of
plant roots by pulverizing the Jumps.
(To be concluded in next issue.)
BROOKLYN WILL