CONSERVATION OF SOIL MOISTURE 



merous small pieces of slate and stone — 

 which are often found on the arable lands 

 of that region — has caused a marked 

 decrease in the crop of the ensuing sea- 

 son. Everywhere you may see homely 

 examples of the principle of mulching. 

 Turn over a board or stone lying on the 

 ground; the soil beneath is more moist 

 than the ground near by — for the pores 

 of the earth have been closed, and the 

 current of moisture passing upward has 

 been stopped. That is why fisher-lads 

 look for earthworms beneath stones when 

 the weather is dry. 



But the most useful and practical 

 mulch in dry- farming is that which is 

 made of loose, dry soil. This is done by 

 stirring the surface of the soil with any 

 implement of tillage such as the plow, 

 the harrow, or the cultivator. In closely 

 packed soil capillarity freely takes place, 

 and as the surface layer dries under the 



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