American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-02-15
THE WATER IN THE SOIL.

In dry farming which in this coun-
try e farming without irrigation
the quantity of water available TO
plants is the limiting condition of sue
cess. Land is abundant and cheap
and the soil is fertile. Water is the
one element needed to produce a crop.
Such being the case it is obvious that
no water should be allowed to run off
from the land. 1t should be made TO
enter the soil. The rains of the semi
arid region often come in the form of
sudden and heavy showers. Such rains
till the upper soil completely and IN
less the lower soil permits the excess
to move downward rapidly much of
the subsequent rainfall runs over the
surface and off the fields. This loss
Of water and accompanying injury BY
washing is greater as the surface Of
the held is sleeper. In the plains re-
gion the lands are generally level and
in this respect every opportunity is
given the settler 10 save the water.
To enable the water to run down
quickly a deep bed Of porous soil shold
be prepared. This does not mean that
the soil should necessarily be loose
and open with large air a Il
should be a mellow. close grained
mass, without any tendency to solidi-
fy or to stick together. When the soil
IS in this condition of good filth. it
will take up water rapidly. This lay
er OF fine close grained soil should be
deep in order that much water may
be stored in it. Water occupying the
interstitiae spaces in this upper soil
viii sink slowly into deeper soil. Thus
when the soil is properly prepared the
water of a heavy rain may be collect
ed and held as in a sponge like reser-
yOir. 1t will sink down so as to equa-
lie itself and leave the ground in good
condition for surface tlilage and for
the development OF plant roots.
The filth should be deepened gradu-
ally in arid regions as we'll as in humid
ones, although less injury results from
turning up the better weathered sub
soil OF the former. In the process of
blowing the furrow slice is completely
separated from the soil below. Trash
or various kinds is often turned IN
der, further separating the two. This
loosened soil should be settled TO re-
establish connection with the lower
soil. Rains viii do the work in time
and in humid regions this may be all
that is required. but in our country
it is not. Evaporation is rapid from
such loosened soil and il should not
De left in this open condition where
water is so valuable.
A process OF settling and hrming
the lower soil while leaving the i'm
mediate surface loose and granular
has been called s~ub-surface packing.
This packing may be done with an i'm
plement especially devised for the pur-
pose or less effectively with a weighted
disc harrow. setting the disc straight
SO as TO cut down into the soil and turn
il as little as possible. A corrugated
roller or a pike tooth harrow also
serves TO settle the soil when other
implements are not available. If
much Trash has been plowed under
or the furrow slice is thick the har-
row viii be less effective. The com
non smooth roller by eompacting the
surface increases the loss OF water by
evaporation. The ground plowed in
the forenoon should be packed and
narrowed before stopping work for
Don and the same at night. This is
very important, as a fresh moist sur
face loses water through the air very
rapidly.@George H. Failyer in Denver
Field and Farm.
MISS KOHLHEPP'S PICTURES