quently been demonstrated in light and loamy soils, that the power 

 to hold water is much greater when the soil has been well manured than 

 it was before the manure had been applied. 



A very fine sandy soil absorbs water very freely and has a high capil- 

 larity, but at the same time it tends to hold water quite forcibly. This 

 is not true of coarse sand, however. Clay soils, on acccount of their 

 density, do not absorb water readily, but by the addition of manure, 

 their permeability is greatly increased, likewise their ability to retain 

 moisture. 



Quoting from Widtsoe: "In 1868 Nessler found that during six weeks 

 of an ordinary German summer, a certain soil under cultivation lost 510 

 grams of water per square foot, while an adjoining compact soil not cul- 

 tivated lost 1680 grams, a saving due to cultivation of nearly 60 per 

 cent. Wagner's experiments along the same lines resulted in saving 

 more than 60 per cent by cultivation. Johnson, in 1878, confirmed 

 the truth of the principle above mentioned on American soils. Stock- 

 bridge found that cultivation diminished evaporation on clay soils 23 

 per cent and on sandy loam 55 per cent, and on heavy loam 13 per cent. 

 Fortier, working under California conditions, determined that cultiva- 

 tion reduced the evaporation from the soil surface over 55 per cent. At 

 the Utah Station the saving of soil moisture by cultivation was 63 per 

 cent for a clay soil, 34 per cent for a coarse sand and 13 per cent for a 

 clay loam. 



The process of conservation is simple. A surface mulch is effective, 

 and if maintained there is little danger of losing cultivated crops, and 

 grain crops are in a great measure protected by it. 



The corrugated roller is beneficial to grain by forming a surface mulch, 

 even when the grain is grown to the extent of jointing. It firms the soil 

 about the roots, and at the same time closes effectually surface cracks. 

 If the soil is hard, the harrow is of great benefit. Either plan is very 

 beneficial until the grain has attained a growth sufficient to shade and 

 protect the surface from wind and heat. In cultivated crops the mulch 

 must be renewed as soon as cracks form after rains. 



Capillary Attraction 



Capillary attraction is nature's process of moving water from the 

 \ peeper subsoils to the surface. Stored water passes upward from soil 

 fi. oicle to soil particle, forming a film around each atom of soil until it 

 is consumed by growing plants, or passes into the air by evaporation. 

 Water will rise from a few inches to several feet, depending upon the 

 character of the soil. Deep-rooting plants, such as the lucernes, will 

 secure moisture from a depth of twelve to eighteen feet. The rapidity 

 of the movement of capillary water depends upon the compact, uniform 

 proximity of the soil particles to each other. In coarse ground, the 



