layer contains all it can hold. The water then ])a,sses very slowly 

 from the plowed layer to the hard layer below. The excess runs off 

 the surface and washes the hillside or stands on the surface of the flat 

 land. Suppose the soil had been loosened to a depth of 15 inches, 

 would it not have taken up three times as much water? If so, it 

 would have taken up as much as falls in our heaviest rains, and no 

 washing would have occurred. Three times as much water would 

 have been stored in the soil for the use of the crops. If any one in 

 your neighborhood subsoils his land, notice whether such land washes 

 or dries out quickly. Subsoiling is performed with a special plow that 

 follows the common plow. It loosens the subsoil, but does not bring 

 it to the surface. 



Some clay lands become puddled as soon as the rain wets the sur- 

 face. After this the water enters such soils very slowly. Can a 

 simple remedy be found for this? Procure some heavy clay, moisten 

 it well with water and divide it into two equal parts. Work one part 

 well and form it into a ball. Work well into the other part as much 

 freshly slaked lime as will lie on a penny. Put both balls where they 

 can dry out, and after a week break them and notice which breaks the 

 more easily. If you are impatient you can get a quicker result by 

 filling two clean bottles of equal size with muddy water from the road- 

 side. To one bottle add a spoonful of lime water made by shaking an 

 ounce of freshly slaked lime with a pint of water and allowing the 

 coarser particles to subside. Allow the two bottles to stand a few 

 hours and examine the deposits on the bottom of them. Notice the 

 difference in the thickness of the layers and the appearance of the 

 edges. Lime has the power of making the very fine clay particles 

 group themselves in little flakes which do not stick closely to each 

 other. When a few hundred pounds of freshly slaked fine lime are 

 mixed with the surface soil of an^acre of heavy clay the rain water 

 enters it much more readily and the surface does not become puddled. 



III. 



PROTECTION' VRoSi FROSTS. 

 In order to understand the theory of protection from frost we must 

 keep in mind how dew and frost form. Water freezes at 32 degrees 

 Fahrenheit. If some of the water vapor in the air deposits on plants 

 or other objects which have a higher temperature than this the water 

 forms in a shape which we call dew. But if the things on which the 

 water deposits have a temperature below 32 degrees the water is de- 

 posited in the form of little crystals of ice, which we call frost. 



