192 



NATURE AND PEOPBRTIES OF SOILS 



These data show clearly that an excessive amount of mois- 

 ture in the soil is not a favorable condition for the economical 

 use of water. 



The amount of available nutrients is also concerned in the 

 economic utilization of water. In general the data along 

 these lines show that the more productive the soil the lower 

 is the transpiration ratio. Therefore, a farmer, in raising 

 the productivity of his soil by dx'ainage, lime, good tillage, 

 green-manures, barnyard manures, and fertilizers^ provides 

 at the same time for a greater amount of plant production 

 for every unit of water utilized. The total quantity of water 

 taken from the soil, however, will probably be larger. 



The following figures from Montgomery ^ are representative 

 of data available on this phase : 



Table XXXVI 



RELATIVE WATER REQUIREMENT OP MAIZE ON DIPPERENT TYPES 



OP NEBRASKA SOILS, 1911. 



Soil 



Dry Weight op Plants 

 IN Grams pee Pot 



Transpiration Ratio 





MANURED 



UNMANURED 



MANURED 



UNMANURFiD 



Poor (15 bushels) . . . 

 Medium (30 bushels) 

 Fertile (50 bushels) . 



376 

 413 



472 



113 

 184 

 270 



350 

 341 

 346 



549 

 479 

 392 



The effects of texture have been investigated by a number 

 of men, the work of von Seelhorst ^ and of Widtsoe ^ being 



^ Montgomery, E. G., Water Eequirements of Corn; Nebr. Agr. Exp. 

 Sta., 25t£ Ann. Eep., p. 2d, 1912. 



See also, Hellriegel, H., B&itrage su den Naturwissenscliafthchen 

 Grundlage des Acherbaus, Seite 629, Braunschweig, 1883. 



^Seelhorst, C, ron.j tfher den Wasserver'brauch von MoggeUj Gerste, 

 Weizen, und Eartoffeln; Jour. f. Landwirtsehaft, Band 54, Heft 4, 

 Seite 316-342, 1906. 



® Widtsoe, J. A., Irrigation Investigations. Factors Influencing Evapo- 

 ration and Transportation; Utah Agr. Exp. Sta., Bui. 105, 1909. 



