CAPILLARITY INFLUENCED BY CULTIVATION 29 



The reclamation of such lands is briefly considered in 

 Chapter III. 



26. Influence of Forest Regions. The deforesting 

 of large areas near the sources of rivers has an injurious 

 influence upon the moisture content of adjoining farm 

 lands. By cutting over and leaving barren large tracts, 

 less water is retained in the soil. Near forest regions 

 the air has a higher moisture content, due to the 

 water given off by evaporation. Farm lands adjacent 

 to deforested districts lose water more rapidly by 

 evaporation, because the air is so much drier. In 

 Section 24 it was stated that losses of water by trans- 

 piration could be indirectly influenced. This can be 

 accomplished by retaining our forests. 



Good drainage is necessary not only for individual 

 farms, but also for an entire community. Good stor- 

 age capacity in the form of forest lands, for the surplus 

 water which accumulates near the sources of large 

 rivers is also a necessity to agriculture. 



The three ways in which crops are deprived of 

 water are by (i) percolation, (2) evaporation, and (3) 

 transpiration. With proper methods of cultivation 

 losses by percolation and evaporation may be controlled, 

 and losses by transpiration may be reduced. 



INFLUENCE OF CULTIVATION UPON THE WATER SUPPLY 

 OF CROPS 



27. Capillarity Influenced by Cultivation. The 



capillarity of the soil can be influenced by different 

 methods of cultivation, as rolling and subsoiling, deep 

 plowing and shallow surface cultivation. The method 

 of cultivation which a soil should receive in order to 



