1 1 4 TILL A GEMO VEMENTS OF SOIL WA TER [ch ap. 



uniform, with practically no particles of the clay order 

 of magnitude. 



The following figures, obtained by King, illustrate 

 how a spring ploughing preserves the soil moisture 

 during a period of dry weather, by establishing a 

 loose protecting layer over the water-bearing subsoil. 

 The upper line shows the water content of the top 

 4 feet of a certain piece of land on 29th April, on 

 which date part of it was ploughed and part left 

 untouched. On 6th May, no rain having fallen, 

 the soil was sampled again, both on the ploughed 

 and the unploughed piece, with the results set out 

 in the lower figures : 



It is seen that the ploughed land practically lost no 

 water during the week ending 6th May, whereas 

 during the same period the land not ploughed lost 

 9-1 lbs. per square foot of surface, a quantity equivalent 

 to if inch of rain. 



A similar trial made on a light loam at Wye during 

 a dry period in the spring of 1902, gave the following 

 percentages of water in the wet soil. 



There can be little doubt that the earlier land 

 which is intended for spring corn, or particularly for 



