Figure 3. 



sand, moisten and place to one side. Note 

 the general appearance of the samples 

 before and after mixing, before and 

 after moistening. 



The Work of Water — You have 

 learned that soil is more than "dirt," 

 which gets in the way, and so water is 

 more than something to drink. Let 

 us see what the work of water is. In 

 the oceans it beats upon the shore, 

 breaking the rocks to form soil. The 

 oceans swarm with animals which fur- 

 nish us with food. Often the water 

 seeps through the ocean bed, strikes 

 hot rocks, forms steam and bursts the 

 side of a mountain. Drop a little water 

 on the hot stove and see how active 

 the water becomes. 



On warm, clear days water evapor- 

 ates from the oceans, strikes a cold 



Figure 4. 



current of air or a cold hillside or 

 mountain side, becomes fog or a cloud, 

 and is carried over the land and falls 

 as rain. Then everything awakens. 

 The farmer puts in seeds. The seeds 

 send up the young plants and the 

 country turns green and becomes alive 

 with flowers. Water not only awakens 

 the young plants, but it carries food to 

 them. The wells are filled. The rivers 

 rush toward the ocean through the 

 valleys, bringing soil from the mount- 

 ains to the ranches below. If you dip 

 up a little water during the rainy 

 season and set aside for a short time 

 the water will evaporate, leaving soil 

 which it has carried for miles from 

 the mountains. 



Thus water helps to build mount- 

 ains; it helps to make soil and carries 

 it where it can be used best; it scatters 

 and awakens seeds; it waters animals 

 and plants and carries food for all. 

 Without it there would be no life. 



Gravitational Water — A ball thrown 

 into the air falls. The force of gravi- 

 tation pulls it and all bodies toward 

 the earth. The rain falls and sinks 

 through the soil until it reaches a 

 hard layer which it can not penetrate. 

 This is called gravitational water. 

 Gravitational water as it sinks carries 

 some food to plants and awakens life 

 in the soil. If the soil has not been 

 plowed this water may not enter. It 

 may run off to the creeks and be lost 

 in the ocean, or it may run down a 

 hillside, causing floods. What can be 

 done to prevent the "run off"? Fig. 5. 

 Plowing opens the surface and holds 

 the water until it soaks in. On a hillside 

 one should plow around,_ not up and 

 down. This is called contour plowing. 

 Each plant has a mass of roots, which 

 is like a big sponge. Growing trees 

 on the hillsides and protecting our 

 forests will prevent the loss of gravi- 

 tational water. 



(To be continued) 



