The Storage and Use of Soil Moisture 
75 
The fourth foot had been dry since harvest, 1907. This shows 
that it requires large quantities of water to wet the soil to a 
depth of four feet. It is seldom done on this type of soil and 
under our rainfall except by summer tillage or irrigation. 
Table 29. — Effect of capillarity on soil moisture. 
Alfalfa on bench land. 
PER CE*T WATER IN SOIL. 
Depth 
June 24, 
1910 
March 20, 
1911 
June 29, 
1911 
April 22, 
1912 
Nov. 14, 
1912 
April 2, 
1913 
Feet 
1 
8.5 
10.5 
8.5 
21.0 
11.6 
21.6 
2 
8.2 
8.8 
8.5 
15.0 
8.7 
17.3 
3 
8.2 
8.5 
8.4 
8.4 
8.2 
16.5 
4 
8.0 
8.7 
8.7 
8.4 
8.1 
9.1 
5 
8.4 
8.7 
9.1 
8.2 
8.7 
9.1 
6 
8.2 
9.4 
8.6 
8.9 
8.7 
8.9 
7 
8.3 
8.9 
9.3 
8.7 
9.1 
8.9 
8 
7.4 
9.0 
9.1 
9.0 
9.2 
8.4 
9 
8.9 
11.1 
9.1 
10.1 
9.4 
9.7 
10 
10.6 
13.0 
9.7 
13.7 
11.6 
14.1 
11 
10.3 
12.2 
9.8 
12.2 
11.3 
12.3 
12 
10.8 
13.0 
9.6 
12.7 
10.1 
12.1 
13 
10.8 
14.0 
15.0 
15.7 
11.2 
16.9 
14 
12.8 
19.3 
17.2 
21.3 
14.4 
22.2 
15 
21.0 
24.6 
21.0 
24.8 
20.5 
27.6 
The data given in Table 29 were obtained from a field of al- 
falfa growing on the bench land. Sheet water is from 17 to 21 
feet below the surface. There is a rise and fall in the level of 
the sheet water during the year, depending on the flow in the 
river two and one-half miles north. 
The table shows that during the winter months when the 
alfalfa is not using the water, there is an increase in the mois- 
ture content of the soil from the sheet water to the ninth foot 
from the surface. The table shows a fluctuation in the water 
content of the first three feet of soil, due to water from rains or 
snow on the surface. Practically no change is found in the 
water content of the next five feet. No water has passed thru 
this to increase the content below. The lowest section obtained, 
the fifteenth foot, being closest to sheet water, is most nearly 
saturated. The amount of water in each section above this 
diminishes until we reach a point where capillary action is 
equalized by the force of gravity and the upward movement of 
