RELATION OF SOILS TO WATER 43 



Which soils have the greater power to absorb or 

 pump moisture from below ? 



Experiment. Use the same or a similar set of 

 tubes as in the experiment illustrated in Fig. 23. Fill 

 the tubes with the same kinds of dry sifted soils. 

 Then pour water into the pan or dish beneath the 

 tubes until it rises a quarter of an inch above the 

 lower end of the tubes (Fig. 24). Watch the water 

 rise in the soils. The water will be found to rise 

 rapidly in the sand about two or three inches and 

 then stop or continue very slowly a short distance 

 further. In the clay it starts very slowly, but after 

 several hours is finally carried to the top of the soil. 

 The organic matter takes it up less rapidly than 

 the sand, faster than the clay, and finally carries it 

 to the top. By this and further experiments it will 

 be found that the power of soils to take moisture 

 from below depends on their texture or the size 

 and closeness of their particles. 



We found the sand pumped the water only a short 

 distance and then stopped. 



What can we do for our sandy soils to give them 

 greater power to take moisture from below? For 

 immediate results we can compact them by rolling 

 or packing. This brings the particles closer to- 

 gether, makes the spaces between them smaller, and 

 therefore allows the water to climb higher. For 

 more lasting results we can fill them with organic 

 matter in the shape of stable manures or crops 

 turned under. Clay may be used, but is expensive 

 to haul. 



