Miscellaneous. 357 



incurably lazy. There was a certain field upon this farm, originally very 

 productive, that had been continuously grain cropped until the vegetable 

 content was very much reduced, and upon which had recently been placerl 

 what manure had to be moved in order to allow passage in and out of the 

 stable. In order to avoid anv undue exertion, this manure had not been 

 scattered, but each load dumped in a heap by itself. The result was a few 

 spots exceedingly rich in vegetable matter. The contrast was almost 

 equal to that of an oasis in a desert. After heavy rains, the manured 

 portions would be in a fit condition for cultivation, while water would 

 still be standing on the other soil all about them. And when the other 

 would get ready to work it would be heavy and solid, and would not stir 

 up into a nice mulch, while these spots would be as loose and light as an 

 ash heap. The plants on the manured portion would be of a rich dark 

 green color, stocky and vigorous, while those besides them on the un- 

 manured portion would be pale, slender and often sickly in appearance. 



The greater length of time taken for the excess of water to perco- 

 late away is a loss not only in time, which the farmer should have the use 

 of in his fight with the weeds, but also in its greater injury to the growing 

 crop, as none of our cultivated crops will thrive or even live very long 

 in a saturated soil. A native soil will retain about 20 per cent, more 

 water than one that has been continuously grain cropped for 15 or 20 

 years. In an experiment where one-half of a sandy knoll was manured 

 and the other not, the manured portion contained nearly 25 per cent, more 

 water during six weeks' drouth than the unmanured portion, and at har- 

 vest time the corn on the manured portion was fully two feet taller. 



In another experiment to determine the effect upon evaporation, a 

 difference in the rate of evaporation was observed equal to one ton of 

 Vv^ater per acre per day in favor of the manured portion. Owing to the un- 

 certainty of our rainfall in regard to time, the capacity of a soil to absorb 

 and retain water for the use of crops is very important. A certain amount 

 of moisture is necessary before the sap will move and any growth take 

 place. And the nearer the moisture content becomes reduced to this 

 l>oint, the less rapidly will growth take place. The variation of only a 

 few per cent, in the amount of moisture retained may mean the difference 

 between a good crop and an almost total failure. During the past sea- 

 son, which enjoyed a fairly good distribution of moisture, we were able 

 by the addition to a corn crop when the ears were forming, of four inches 

 of water to the soil, to change the yield of corn from 68 to 91.5 bushels 

 per acre. This amount of water is equivalent to a little over 5 per cent, 

 moisture in the first four feet of soil. 



In conclusion it may be said that the term, worn out land, is a de- 

 lusion. Such land still posses plenty of plant food in an insoluble form. 



