CHAPTER HI 

 THE MOISTURE IN THE SOIL 



L. A. CLINTON 



1. Why Moisture Is Important 



61. However much, plant -food there may bs 

 in the soil, plants cannot grow without the 

 presence of water. Water is needed for three 

 purposes: to dissolve the plant-food and thereby 

 enable it to enter the plant; to contribute to the 

 building of plant tissue and to the maintenance of 

 the life of the plant; and to regulate temperature. 



62. A consideration of the amount of water 

 required by plants in their growth shows why 

 supplying plant- food alone does not insure the 

 success of the crop. The amount of water used 

 by some of the common crops in their develop- 

 ment to maturity is approximately as follows : 



Corn 50 bus. per acre requires 1,500,000 Ibs. of water. 



Potatoes ... 200 bus. " " 1,268,000 Ibs. " 



Oats 29 bus. " " 1,192,000 Ibs. " 



63. The failure of crops is more frequently 

 due to improper control of moisture than to any 



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