Advantages of Deep-rooted Plants. 183 



Products of all crops certain, either in very dry or very wet 

 seasons. More stock can be kept at same cost. They can be 

 kept in much better health owing to the properties of some of the 

 plants used. Less capital is required for working the farm. As 

 the deep roots decay the land is permeated to its greatest depth 

 (chicory will go down from 3 ft. to 4 ft. in fifteen months, and 

 1 ft. 6 ins. in three mouths) with vegetable matter. The land 

 can thus be deeply aerated, and more moisture carried into it to 

 the advantage of the land in droughts. In dry weather the land 

 cools sooner, and more dew will be precipitated. By the steady 

 increase of humus, and the deepening and tilling of the soil by 

 roots, the fertility of the land can be continuously improved 

 without additional expense. Manurial matter which has sunk 

 low in the soil can be retrieved by the deep -rooters. Land well 

 supplied with humus retains much heat which would otherwise 

 be lost. It also retains 20 per cent, more moisture than a 

 mineralized soil. It is important to note too that the air passing 

 over a humus-fed soil, would be cooler and moister than air 

 passing over a mineralized soil. The dewfall* therefore wo\ild be 

 greater, and when the land throughout the country becomes 

 generally humus-fed, the rainfall woidd be more advantageously 

 distributed, and fall over a greater nimiber of days in small 

 showers instead of heavy falls of rain, as is the case when land is 

 clothed with forest. Tough, clayey, and unworkable soUs, which 

 readily run together, can be ameliorated by the system, and com- 

 pletely altered in character. Finally, roots, by virtue of the acids 

 in them, can utiUse portions of the mineral matters locked up in 

 stones. I have now given twenty-five distinct advantages which 

 will certainly be obtained from the adoption of my system. I may 

 add that owing to the want of the means of duly keeping up a 

 good supply of humus in the land the soils of Great Britain are, 

 to a very large extent, in deplorably bad physical condition, and 

 this has been much worsened by liming and the injudicious use of 

 artificial manures. 



* From " The Journal of Board of Agrimltwe" p. 499, Norember, 1907. — 

 " It was found in the course of the experiments with reference to dew 

 ponds that colour affected the deposition of dew to the extent of no less 

 than five times in favour of a pan painted white, as compared with one 

 painted black." Should this experience be correct it follows that a soil 

 darkened with humus will precipitate more dew than a light coloured one. 



