WATER OF SOIL IN ITS RELATION TO PLANTS 197 



by a number of soil conditions. Important among these is 

 texture, which in itself really represents a group of soil con- 

 ditions. In general the wilting point is much higher on a 

 fine soil than one of a coarse nature. The following data from 

 Briggs and Shantz 1 is interesting in this regard. The wilt- 

 ing coefficient is shown to lie much nearer the hygroscopic 

 coefficient than to the figure representing the maximum ab- 

 sorption capacity as determined by the Hilgard method. 



Table XXXVII 



RELATION OF THE WILTING COEFFICIENT TO THE TEXTURE OF THE 



SOIL, THE HYGROSCOPIC COEFFICIENT AND THE CALCULATED 



MAXIMUM ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY OF THE SOIL 



FOR WATER. 



In studying the correlation of this wilting coefficient to 

 soil conditions Briggs and Shantz 2 advanced the following 

 relationships. Expressed as formulas, they represent methods 



1 Briggs, L. J., and Schantz, H. L., The Wilting Coefficient for Dif- 

 ferent Plants and its Indirect Determination; U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. 

 Plant Ind., Bui 230, p. 65, 1912. 



See also Heinrich, E., voer das Vermogen der Pflanzen den Bodenen 

 Wasser zu erschopfen; Jahresbericht der Agr.-ehem., Band 18, Seite 368- 

 372, 1875. 



2 Briggs, L. J., and Shantz, H. L., The Wilting Coefficient for Dif- 



