Saving Soil Moisture. 149 



''The Soil." He says: "Since each independent soil 

 grain of a moist soil is more or less completely 

 surrounded by a film of water, it is evident that, 

 other conditions being present, the largest aggre- 

 gate surface area may retain the most water per 

 cubic foot. Now, a cubic foot of marbles one 

 inch in diameter possesses an aggregate surface of 

 27.7 square feet, while if the marbles were reduced 

 in diameter to one -thousandth of an inch, then the 

 total area per cubic foot is increased to 37,700 

 square feet." From this it is evident that the 

 total amount of water capable of being absorbed 

 by a soil which is cloddy and lumpy is very slight 

 in comparison with what it would be were it in a 

 finely divided state ; and not only is its absorbing 

 power less, but its power of holding moisture is 

 also greatly reduced. 



A large amount of water is lost during the 

 winter and spring months, owing to the surface 

 drainage of melting snows and heavy rainfalls. 

 To prevent this loss, fall plowing may be prac- 

 ticed, and when the subsoil is very hard and com- 

 pact, the use of the subsoil plow may prove most 

 beneficial. Should the ground break up in clods, 

 then it may be allowed to remain during the 

 winter without harrowing, to more thoroughly sub- 

 ject it to the beneficial action of the elements. 

 But if the soil is in good mechanical condition, 

 and in fruit- land, plants should be growing on it 

 during the winter. 



Harrowing to save moisture. The harrow, besides 



