420 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



Water Content of the Soil. 



A water-clogged soil is very prejudicial to plant growth. A great 

 scarcity will also cause the crops to die of thirst. This latter is very seri- 

 ous in times of extreme heat. Drainage is the cure of overwet soils. 

 They prevail in clay basins and are especially serious where the subsoil 

 is cemented as already described. 



A soil may be parched from neglect when from parsimony or scarcity 

 of water the irrigation is omitted. The irrigating hardpan or plow-sole 

 often keeps the water from the roots of the plants and trees, and brings 

 on wilt and death. 



The King soil tester and the ditch already recommended will often 

 reveal a condition of moisture and root distribution that will surprise the 

 orchardist, and suggest a quick modification of his orchard practice. 



Aeration. 



We now know that every live soil is the home of countless millions of 

 micro-organisms. These change the ammonia to nitrites and these in 

 turn to nitrates which can be absorbed and utilized by the plants. These 

 minute bacterial germs transform the humus into the necessary food to 

 form tissue. Another group of these bacilli have the power to co-operate 

 with leguminous plants in changing the inert nitrogen of the air into 

 nitrates so costly and necessary to all plant nutrition. These and other 

 valuable soil micro-organisms must have oxygen to live — thus the neces- 

 sity of soil aeration. 



One of the most important functions of cultivation is to provide this 

 aeration. Every soil at all times should be loose and friable. Clay soils 

 often suffer from neglect of this aeration because of the lack of thorough 

 cultivation. The highest success in fruit growing demands thorough 

 aeration, and this only comes especially in clay soils with the most 

 thorough stirring of the soil. 



Dry Earth Mulch. 



We have referred above to the necessity of soil moisture. It is the 

 most important plant food and is all too scarce in many of our orchards. 

 Its conservation is all important. Humus helps greatly to hold it in the 

 soil. It does this in acting as a sponge in clay soils and compacts sand to 

 its betterment. 



One of the best uses of cultivation is to form a dry earth mulch, a very 

 loose stratum at the top of the soil from four to six inches in depth. This 

 must never be neglected would we reach the best in our tillage. This 

 demands thorough cultivation after each rain or irrigation throughout 

 the growing season of the year. Few of us secure this perfect dry earth 

 mulch at all times when plant life is most active. The best ranchers are 

 keenly alive to its value and necessity, and their great crops and profits 

 speak eloquently in its praise. 



