UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



m BULLETIN No. 447 ,,„ 



•53lk>Scilc* Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Induistry ^^M , 



jS\J^'<^,WU 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Induistry 

 WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



November 22, 1916 



WATER PENETRATION IN THE GUMBO SOILS OF 

 THE BELLE FOURCHE RECLAMATION PROJECT. 



By O. R. Mathews, Assistant, Dry-Land Agriculture Investigations. ( 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Description of the gumbo soil of the Belle 



Fourche Pveclamation Project 2 



Water capacity of the gumbo soil 3 



Productivity of the gmnbo soil 3 



Changes in the \olume of the soil due to 



wetting and drying 3 



Page. 



Rate of movement of water in loose, sat- 

 urated soil - 4 



Rate of movement of water in wet soil under 



field conditions 5 



Penetration of water into dry soil in the field . . 6 



Summary 11 



INTRODUCTION. 



The readiness with which water penetrates into any soil determines 

 to a great extent the amount that will be available to crops. An ac- 

 curate knowledge of water movement within a soil often furnishe? 

 an indication of the farm practices that will be most successful. 

 Thus under irrigation the rapidity of water percolation may deter- 

 mine in what way and at what time water may be most effectively 

 applied. On dry land a knowledge of moisture movement often 

 shows what results may be expected from diiferent cultural methods 

 calculated to increase the quantity of water entering the soil. 



The gumbo soil of the Belle Fourche (S. Dak.) Reclamation Proj- 

 ect ofFeis problems in water penetration materially different from 

 those in soils of other types. These differences are due largely to its 

 peculiar physical characteristics. 



'J'liis bulletin presents the results of certain studies of the penetra- 

 tion of water into the gumbo soils of the Belle Fourche project. 



Knorr,' working on the sandy loam soils at Scottsbluff, Nebr., 

 found that plats irrigated in the fall were more moist and moist to 

 greater depths in the spring than plats not fall iirigated. When 



' Knorr, Trltz. TCxpfrlmontH with cropK under full IrrlKMtlou at tho SoottRhlun" Ilcchi- 

 niatloii I'rojcct lOxixrliiicnt Farm. XJ. H. Dcpt. Agr. IJul. 133, 17 p., 5 fig. 1014. 

 rj'jjr,r,"—nuu. 447—10 



