The Prescott daily news., 1916-03-29
OFFICE Douglas Brooks & Com pany

ways. A clay soil without organic matter Is too sticky and compact. The organic matter loosens it, permitting the surplus water to drain away and allows air to penetrate to the roots of the crop. On the other hand. sandy soils are too loose and open. Water drains away too rapidly and too much air is permitted to enter.
 Effect of Organic Matter on Moisture.
 Sandy soils that are well supplied with organic matters are more reten- tive of moisture than if lacking in that substance. The large spaces between the sand permit the water to draw away so rapidly that it is soon lost. and the soil dries out. If these spaces are filled with organic matter the water meets more opposition in it's downward movement, consequently it remains for longer time in the zone occupied by the plant roots The fact that organic matter is exceedingly porous adds to it's water holding power. This is shown clearly by ex. periments showing that 100 pounds of straw will take up 200 pounds of wa. ter whereas the same amount of sand will hold only twenty-five pounds, and 100 pounds of peat soil, which con- sists entirely of humus. will take up from 500 to 1000 pounds of water.
 Clay soils do not need to have their water holding capacity increased be- cause they are naturally very renten. tive of moisture, such soils are so compact, however, that the roots have difficulty in penetrating deeply into the subsoil. Consequently the crops are likely to be shallow rooted. The surface soil dries out quickly and the crop suffers. This accounts for the fact that crops often suffer from drought on clay lands sooner than on more sandy soils If organic matter Is supplied to clay soils the crop will root deeper as a result of the more open structure and therefore will be able to utilize the moisture stored in the suhsoil and can resist drought
 OT9dnlC MdIleT anu fIant OOG.
 Organic matter not only improves the physical condition of soils and aids moisture control but 1t also con. tains large amount of nitrogen and other plant feeds in an available form. When the organic matter decays this plant food can be used by the sue. cee0ing crops.
 Soils That Need Organic Matter.
 The soils of the South are, as a rule, deficient in organic matter be. cause the high temperature of the summer seasons causes decomposition to take place very rapidly This ten. dency is enumerated to a certain ex. tent on the creek and river bottom soils by the fact that the large amount of vegetation produced has caused large supply of organic mat. ter to be stored up. Continuous crop. ping to corn and cotton, however soon exhausts this original supply so that even the rich bottom soils be, come depleted after twenty-five or thirty years. The presence of an abundance of organic matter is shown by black or dark brown color extending several inches below the surface A lack of organic matter Is shown by light gray or red color Methods of increasing Organic Mat ter Content of the Soil.
 The amount of organic matter in the soil can be increased by applying barnyard manure, by turning under all the corn and cotton stubbs, stubble from grain. sod of meadows and by turning under green crops. The sub, ject of manures will be treated in another lesson. The practice of turn.