AGRICULTURE 



SOIL MOISTURE 



Plants' Need of Water. The soil is the home of 

 plants, the storehouse of their food. We know that 

 it is necessary to the growth of crops, and yet it is 

 not necessary to plant life. 



A seed, such as Indian corn, will sprout in water. 

 If there be added to the water certain substances 

 which it needs for food, the plant will continue to 

 grow and flourish without soil. 



Uses of Water. But no plant will grow in any soil 

 without moisture. Moisture is needed to make the seed 

 ger'min ate, or sprout ; the plant can take its food from 

 the soil only in a liquid form. Water dissolves plant 

 food, conveys it to the roots, bears it through the 

 stem and branches to the leaves, where it is prepared 

 for food; thence it is carried where it is needed in 

 the structure of the plant. 



An enormous quan- 

 tity of water is re- 

 quired for these 

 purposes. A twenty- 

 five-bushel crop of 

 wheat uses over five 

 hundred tons of water 

 during its season of 

 growth. Where does 

 the wheat get this 

 water ? The amount 

 is far in excess of the 

 usual rainfall during 



A. In this tube is shown 

 the amount of water 

 required to wet the 

 pebbles in the glass. 



B. In this tube is shown 

 the amount of water re- 

 quired to wet the sand 

 made by crushing the 

 pebbles in A, 



