1020] ■ SOILS — FERTILIZERS. 723 



factor was eliminated. The cdIuuhis in which gravity assisted capillarity were 

 inclined downward at various angles from the horizontal, the columns in which 

 gravity acted a^'ainst capilhirity were inclined upward at various angles from 

 the horizontal, and the ct>luinns in which the effect of gravity was elinnnated 

 as far as possible were set horizontal. 



The movement of moisture in vertical columns from free waters was found 

 to be very rapid for tlie tirst few hours of the experiment, after which there 

 was a marked decrease until about the fifth day when the rate became more 

 uniform, growing slightly slower day by day. The rate of movement in the 

 light soils was more rapid for the first few hours and then slowed down much 

 more quickly than in the heavy soils. The heavy soils maintained a rela- 

 tively more uniform variation than the light soils. There was a variation of 

 nearly 250 per cent in the total distance moved in a period of 30 days. In 

 general, the lighter the soil the shorter the distance the moisture moved upward 

 in a long period of time. Except in the lijilit soils of the sandy type, the 

 quantity of water required to move the moisture the first inch was about the 

 same or a little less than that required to move it the last inch on a SO-daj 

 basis. Tlie decrease in the percentage of moisture in these columns from the 

 water surface to the upper extremity of the wetted area was not uniform. 



The movement of moisture in horizontal columns was in general the same as 

 in vertical columns, the chief difference being one of degi-ee. The data indicated 

 the ext(>nsive and long-continued capillary action in a horizontal direction in 

 the light .soils. All of the columns showed a gradual decrease in the percentage 

 of moisture from the tank end to the outward extremity of the wetted area. 



In columns inclined downward from the horizontal, the movement of moisture 

 and the amount of water used were greater than for the horizontal columns or 

 those inclined upward from the horizontal. After the first day or two the type 

 of soil used in the columns was foufld to be of greater importance in limiting 

 the extent of the movement of moisture. Porosity was not the only factor, but 

 the so-cal'ed transporting power of the soil was of prime importance. The heavy 

 and less porous soils showed a relatively greater percentage of moisture move- 

 ment tile tirst day or two and a relatively slower rate of movement the last 

 few days than the light and more porous soils, which showed a more uniform and 

 extended moisture movement. Evaporation did not appear to have varied the 

 quantity of water used to any extent. In a general way, the greater the mois- 

 ture equivalent of a soil the greater was the quantity of water required to ad- 

 vance the moisture 1 in. It was observed that for soils of the heavy type for 

 some time after the beginning of the experiment less water was required per 

 inch than for the following day, but after about the thirtieth day there was a 

 very rapid increase in the water requirements. In some cases the water re- 

 quirement per inch at the end of the fortieth day was about double the require- 

 ment for the first day, but in the heavy soils this was not so pronounced. 



In columns inclined upward from the horizontal at an angle of 15°, there was 

 less moisture movement and less water used than in the horizontal columns 

 and more than in the vertical columns. The distribution of moisture in these 

 columns did not differ materially from the distribution in the vertical columns. 



Data on the effect of gravity on the movement of soil moisture by capillarity 

 showed that even on the first day inclination is a marked factor in the extent 

 of the movement of soil moisture. At the end of the thirtieth day the column 

 inclined upward at 45° indicated only one-half, and the column inclined upward 

 at 30°, about two-thirds as extensive a movement of soil moisture as the horizon- 

 tal colunm. The extent of soil moisture movement in the horizontal column, the 

 columns inclined upward at 30 and 45°, and the vertical one was in the order 

 16032°— 20 3 



