CHAPTER XII 

 The Soil Water 



Without water the soil cannot feed plants. It is wise to 

 know why and how the work of feeding is done. For this 

 purpose, and in order to understand the differences in soils, 

 let us get soils of three kinds — clayey, sandy, and loamy or 

 medium — with some very well-rotted manure or leaf mold. 

 Get also some tumblers, some flower pots of the right size to 

 stand upon them (not fit into them) , and a pan and pitcher 

 or two. Get also a graduate, or pouring vessel marked off 

 into pretty fine divisions. It can be bought at a photog- 

 rapher's. Tin cans may serve instead of flower pots, but 

 they should have holes punched in their bottoms. 



In the first place, since soils get their water from the rain, 

 let us understand what happens when the rain falls. Fill 

 pots, or cans, with the different kinds of soil, and if pure sand 

 is convenient, use that also. Fill a pot with manure or mold, 

 well packed. The experiment will work better if the soils 

 have been thoroughly dried, and in any case they should not 

 be moist. Stand each pot on a tumbler. 



Now into the pot containing sand, or sandy loam, pour 

 water from the graduate, which should be filled to the top. 

 Pour slowly, moving the stream about on the surface so as 

 to wet the soil thoroughly. As soon as water begins to drip 

 into the tumbler, stop pouring, and record the amount 

 poured into the soil. Do this. with all the other soils, and 

 note the different amounts of water which each will hold. 



