Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1917-06-29
LESSON ON MULcHEs
FOR CHARLES
COUNTY EApAAEpc


from below rapidly comes up to
the surface and evaporates into
the air. But if the soil is COW
cred with mulch, evaporation
from the surface is checked and
the soil water does not escape.
Grass, leaves, or other vege-
table matter make an excellent
mulch, or a loose layer of dry
soil may be used. Vegetable
matter when mixed with a soil
makes the soil loose. 1t pre-
vents the soil from baking and
thus prevents the water in it
from escaping.
The Importance of Cultivating
Soil During Dry Weather.
During severe drought all
corn in a certain region suffered
greatly except the crop Of one
farmer. His corn plants re-
manned dark green, while all his
neighbors' plants wilted and
turned brown. He kept his
plants green by cultivating the
soil between the rows every few
days throughout the growing
season and harvested a fair crop
while his neighbor's had almost
none.
How does cultivation help
growing crop? 1t does so by
keeping the water in the soil.
The loose layer of dry soil on
the surface prevents the evapor-
alton OF the soil water, Just as
layer OF grass or leaves prevents
the evaporation Of this water.
The farmer, therefore, should
not allow the surface of the soil
on his fields to bake and crack,
but should cultivate the land
and keep the surface of the soil
loose. He should be especially
careful during the dry season to
stir the soil promptly after a
rain; for if the soil of his fields
is allowed to lie with a crust on
it, the water in the soil will
quickly evaporate into the air
and his crops will be left with
out the moisture that they need
for their growth, If the culti-
vator breaks the roots of plants
like corn, the plants will suffer.
Weeds Use the Water Needed
by Crop Plants.
A weed is plant that grows
where it is not wanted. Weeds,
like other plants, take water
from the soil. Corn fields, po-
tato fields, and gardens, there
fore, should be kept free from
weeds, because the weeds use
water needed by the crop plants.
| Exercise to Illustrate the Action
of Soil Mulch.
Take cube of loaf sugar,
On the top side sprinkle a guam
tity Of powdered sugar. The
cube Of sugar represents the soil
and the powdered sugar soil
mulch which is produced by
making fine the surface soil. Set
tumbler bottom-side up on a
table and put small quantity
of coffee or water colored with
ink on the top of the tumbler.
Carefully set the cube Of sugar
in the liquid. Notice how
quickly the liquid rises to the
top of the cube and then stops.
The powdered sugar mulch"
does not take up the liquid as
the solid lump Of sugar did. In
time, however, the mulch be-
comes moist. The water passes
up through the cube Of sugar I'M
til it reaches the surface. 1t
passes slowly into the powdered
sugar because there are air
spaces between the particles OF
powdered sugar and the cube.
A loose layer of soil on field,
like the powdered sugar, pre-
vents the water from rising to
the surface. When the soil is
packed, the water climbs up
through it, passing from particle
to particle, until it reaches the
surface and passes off into the
air. The loose soil contains air
spaces that check the rise of wa
ter--the water cannot get across
these air spaces to the soil
above. The water, therefore,
does not reach the surface and
is kept in the soil. When rain
falls on mulch, the soil is
beaten down and packed. Then
the water will pass through it
to the surface and be evapor-
ated. If water in the soil is to
be retained, the surface for
two or three inches, should be
loosened with harrow, disk or
cuitivator after each rain.
R. L. CLUTE,
County Agent.