40 



to 5 ^ i« optimum. At 6 % the soil is quit© wet. N© 

 shoratge of soil moisture occurred during the period of 

 observation, although there were periods of 15 to 00 day* 

 without rainfall. Mschenical analysis shows 94.87 % mediua 

 and fine sand in the surface soil, and 95.28 fy in the subsoil, 

 ^most of the remainder was coarse sand. There is thus an 

 unusual uniformity in the siae of the soil particles, a 

 condition which Warrsnton suggests is favorable to capillarity 

 Yet this author thinks possibly the remarkable results 

 in this soil may be due %X) condensation, the fact that 

 it is situated in a peainsula, together with the depth of 

 the water table, wouxd give credence to this supposition. 

 But Whitney, in support of the theory that the result is 

 due to capillarity, cites soils in dry climates of Southern 

 Califoraia and Texas, where it is not unusual for crops to 

 thrive for a period of five or six months without either 

 rainfall or irrigation. 



This difference in eapiilary power suggests an explana- 

 tion for Hosford's results (Cornell 247, 189) where the 

 largest yields of corn fodder were secured where the soil 

 moisture was the lowest. The results are given in Table 

 XVII, which is quoted as it occurs in the bulletin. 



