St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1921-04-30
Air and Water Cannot Oc-
cupy the Same Space at
the Same Time.
-~.l.- .r4
HOW SOUR SOIL
MAY BE FORMED
Other Matters That Will Be
Interesting to the Busi-
ness Farmer.
(By A. K. Briggs)

(By A. E. Briggs)
drainage: (D it. removes water
standing on the surface; GU it low
ers the depth OF standing water
Some of the benefits derived are
thus described in q. 6. Farmers Bul-
letin No. sos concerning underdrajn-
age Cor tile drainage):
1T is manifest that air and water
cannot occupy the same space at the
same time and that water, being
heavier, will crowd the air out OF
the soil pores. it is well knaWn that
for proper plant development the
presence of air il the soil is as i'm
portant as "a supply of moisture.
When underdrainage is installed and
the excess water moves downward,
the air is admitted into the soil and
the proper balance between the air
and moisture content is restored.
when organic matter decays in
the absence of air, as in Water-logg-
: ed soils, gases and other substances
are sometimes former which are in
furious to plants. This is avoided
by underdrainage, which enables the
J. air to enter the soil.
1T takes much more to raise the
Temperature Of a given volume OF
water one degree than it does to
raise the temperature OF the same
volume of air to the same extent.
Underdrainage makes possible a
warmer Soil. This result is of i'm
portance at all seasons of the year,
but particularly so in early spring.
Underdrainage induces earlier germ
irration and the season is made both
earlier and longer.
"Anothe rearly spring advantage
Of underdrainage is that ploWing
may be done much earlier and with
greater ease.
"Underdrainage improves the tex
ture of the soil itself by developing
tn edrainage pores, promoting root
development, permitting deeper cul-
tivation, etc.
"Underdrainage increases avail
able depth of soil, which is equiva-
lent to increasing the available acre
age without adding materially to the
amount or cost of manipulation.
"Underdrainage increases the
available moisture in the soil 1tset
instead of decreasing it, as is feared
by many. This is due to the fact
that the plants develop deeper and
more complex roofing system when
comes in contact with greater NUM-
ber Of soil particles and consequent
ly a greater surface of water tllm
area
s.For the same reason, underdrain-
age increases the valuable quantity
OF plant foods.
s'Deep roofing In the spring also
insures against drought. Plants
growing on drained soil are not so
liable to injury due to water short
age in the summer.
Beneficial bacterial activity is
largely suspended in cold, wet SOILS,
and such activity is necessary to the
manufactur of plant food and It's
conversion into aTailabel form. \ I'm
derdrainage increases the zone anu
Intensity of such bacterial activity
Several similar statements con-
cerning the advantages OF drainage
have been printed in these columns
from other authorities on the SUB
ject. In brief what are the profits
from drainage as shown by the
scientific statements just quoted2
~ Drainage acts like fertilizer,
for by giving the plants air and re
moving injurious substances and D.,
making more available the food al
ready abundantly in the soil, i
greatly increases the crop yleld
cni1 If hrinp pa
a better return to the farmer than
If he planted greater acreage Or
crops, for he gets better crops with
out an increase in labor; and this Is
the principal reason why farmers
used to good farming want well
drained lands. 60 AS drainage
lightens the labor Of tilling the soil
and enables the farmer to keep the
land constantly producing crops, be
cause farming operations are not
stopped very materially by wet
ground following wet weather, the
farmer uses his labor to better ad-
vantage. (4) because Of the fact
that drainage warns the soil, the
crops may be planted earlier and
they grow faster and come to ma
turity earlier than on soils not so
we'll drained. And this Is why
drained lands are so much more val
liable than undrained lands. II we
are going into the business of profit
able farming and if we are to grow
valuable field crops, we must have
drainage.
In preceding articles have shown
the great advantage of drainage in
growing velvet heans (Which is the
best Of. green fertilizers and one OF
the very best of stock feeds), the
sweet potato (most naturally adapt
ed to our soils, valuable market
ing crop and also a valuable forase
crop which can be fed in the tield).
oats "a winter. growing crop. Valu-
able in the late winter and early
spring for pasture and later harvest
ed for its grainl, cowpeas "a most
valuable crop in rotations as it can
be grown successfully and advant-
ageously year after year on the same