STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 103 



and then pass into broom-corn fields. The soil — the common black 

 prairie loam, was all of the same nature except those differences due 

 to moisture and cultivation. 



Here, then, were the desired conditions for a double test of the 

 amount of water in tiled and untiled land. 



Nos. 9 and 10 were taken in oat stubble in untiled land. The 

 soil was moderately fine and friable, the subsoil running into the 

 grayish or blue clay near the bottom of the second foot. Nos. 11 

 and 12 were also taken in oat stubble. No. 11 directly over tile 

 drain and No. 12 one rod from tile drain. No. 11 was of like texture 

 throughout, coarse and lumpy, the grayish clay being mixed with 

 the black loam. No. 12 was rather coarse, the top soil being more 

 friable than No. 11, while the subsoil broke up into angular lumps. 

 No. 11 appeared drier than No. 12. In fact, of the 48 samples I 

 took, personally, the two taken at No. 11 appeared the driest. How- 

 ever it was simply an appearance and not the fact. The per cents 

 of water were practically the same, being 14.0 and 14.4 respectively, 

 while Nos. 9 and 10 had an average of 13.4 or 0.8 per cent, of water 

 in favor of tiled land. 



Nos. 13 and 14 were taken in a broom-corn field in untiled land 

 which was in a fine friable condition, while Nos. 15 and 16 were 

 from a tiled field of broom-corn, the soil being in condition similar 

 to Nos. 13 and 14. The untiled land contained 14.7 per cent., while 

 the tile contained 16.4 per cent, of water, or 1.7 per cent, in favor of 

 the latter. 



Comparing Nos. 9 and 10 with Nos. 13 and 14, which were 

 taken within four rods of each other, it is found that on untiled laud 

 the cultivated broom-corn field contained 1.3 per cent, more water 

 than oat stubble. * Comparing Nos. 11 and 12 and Nos. 15 and 16, 

 which were taken within ten rods of each other, it is found that on 

 tiled land the broom-corn field contained 2.2 per cent, more water 

 than the oat stubble. 



EFFECTS OF CROPS AND CULTIYATION. 



To determine the different per centages of water in land under 

 different crops and cultivation, tests were made in a corn-field, a 

 blue-grass and timothy pasture, and a clover stubble, all adjacent and 

 in other particulars similar. The soil was the ordinary black loam, 

 running into yellowish clay at the bottom of second foot. The pas- 

 ture was dried up, the blades of grass being dead from the drouth. 

 The clover tops were still green, making a feeble growth. The corn 

 was fresh and green. The pasture contained 12.3 per cent, and the 

 clover stubble 11.0 per cent, of water, or 1.3 per cent, in favor of the 

 pasture land. Blue-grass and timothy failed to grow in soil contain- 

 ing 9.7 per cent, of water in first foot, where the roots get their 

 main supply, while clover remained green, making a feeble growth 

 in soil containing but 8.8 per cent, of water in first foot. This is in 



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