336 
Retention of Moisture in the Soil of 
injury from an unfavourable seed time, from severe winters, from 
wet harvests, and the various minor vicissitudes to which grain 
crops are subject; and if in a very growing season, more grass 
is produced than the cattle can consume, it is always possible 
to convert it into an additional haystack, a piece of furniture 
which, however bulky, is never found to incommode the cattle 
in their winter quarters." 
XII. — The Retention of Moisture in the Soil of Arable Lands 
in Dry Climates. By Kobeet Vallentine. 
Pkize Essay. 
The most essential step towards causing the retention of moisture 
in arable land is to obtain a good depth of well-cultivated soil. 
All clay soils, and all such as rest upon clay or have a hard 
impervious pan or subsoil within a few inches of the surface^ 
require in the first place draining, which must be followed by 
deep cultivation of some sort when the ground is sufficiently dry 
to crumble into pieces. 
It certainly at first sight appears paradoxical to speak of 
draining lane, as a means of enabling it to retain moisture j 
but when the various effects which drainage has upon land are 
duly considered, there is no real absurdity in the matter. With- 
out considering it necessary to enter fully into the theory and 
practice of drainage, I must mention a few leading points on the 
advantages of draining all impervious subsoils. 
The great object of draining is to relieve the soil of an excesa 
of moisture, so as to allow rain-water to filter through the land 
instead of standing too long, or running over the surface. A 
good deal of land when being drained is found to have a com- 
paratively dry subsoil to what the surface has, and so dense 
as to prevent water readily passing through it. After draining, 
however, air passages are formed, and water follows at once when 
there is any pressure from the surface. Thoroughly drained 
well cultivated land allows any excess of moisture to pass away 
during wet periods, whilst it also has the power of retaining a 
store of moisture for periods of drought. All ordinary root- 
crops thrive best with a good supply of moisture, and even oats- 
and barley not unfrequently suffer from drought. 
The best naturally fertile soils are of such a texture that they 
require no artificial draining, and seldom become either too 
Avet or too dry. Light sandy soils, on the other hand, have too 
much natural drainage, and are chiefly a trouble from retaining 
too little moisture. Clay-loams, by draining and superior culti- 
