The Moisture of the Soil, and Its Conservation. 



The conservation of soil moisture is one of tlie most important 

 problems presented to the farmer and gardener. Hardly a sea- 

 son passes in which some important crop is not reduced in yield 

 from twenty-five to seventy-five per cent, because of lack of sufii- 

 cient moisture to bring it to maturity. The soil may have been 

 put in proper condition, plant food may have been supplied in 

 the form of fertilizers, and all other conditions may have been 

 favorable for the development of a full crop, yet with the supply 

 of moisture deficient all this labor and expense count for little or 

 nothing. The questions, therefore, arise, " To what extent can 

 the amount of soil moisture be controlled? " " Is it possible to 

 do anything to save crops from the oft-recurring droughts? " 



The insufficient water supply is not due to lack of rainfall, but 

 to its unequal distribution. The average annual rainfall in New 

 York for the last seventeen years is 34.31 inches. The lowest 

 rainfall ever recorded in the state was in 1879 when only 19.74 

 inches fell. In 1895 there was also a deficiency, only 28.60 

 inches being recorded. In the arid portions of Kansas, a rainfall 

 of 20 inches which is well distributed, is reasonably sure of mak- 

 ing a good crop. The loss there by surface drainage is, however, 

 very slight, it being estimated at not more than ten per cent, or 

 about 2 inches, leaving 18 inches for crop growth. In New 

 York, with a rainfall of from 34 to 40 inches, nearly one-half 

 passes off by surface drainage and is lost so far as immediate 

 plant growth is concerned. Not only is the water lost to the 

 crops, but it carries with it much of the soluble plant food of the 

 surface soil. This, then, would suggest one important step in 

 the attempt to store up moisture. This surface flow of water 

 must be prevented and caused to sink into the soil to supply a 

 reservoir from which plants can secure moisture during the per- 

 iod of growth. 



