DISTRIBUTION OF MOISTURE IN SOIL COLUMNS. 7. 
DETERMINING MOISTURE CONTENT. 
As soon as a set of samples had been taken and placed in the tared 
bottles they were weighed, placed in a water-jacketed oven, and kept 
at the temperature of boilmg water until constant weight was ob- 
tained. They were then weighed again and the loss of water was 
determined. All moisture percentages were calculated on the basis 
of the dry-soil weight. 
IDAHO SANDY SOIL. 
The first set of experiments was made upon the sandy soil from 
Idaho. The set consisted of four tubes, each tube being treated 
differently in one way or another. 
Tube No. 1 was packed in 2-inch layers. Each layer was packed 
by lifting the tube 4 inches and dropping it to the floor. This drop- 
ping and lifting was repeated three times for each 2-inch layer. 
After packing, the tube was allowed to stand vertically with the 
lower end in the water for 30 days. It was then taken down and 
immediately sampled, commencing with the bottom inch. 
Tube No. 2 was packed in the same way as tube No. 1, and was 
allowed to stand vertically with the lower end in the water for 35 
days. The tube was then removed from the water and allowed to 
stand vertically 24 hours out of the water before sampling. It was 
then sampled in the same way as tube No. 1. 
Tube No. 3 was packed by tamping each 2-inch layer with a 
weighted tamping rod. The rod was lifted and dropped three times 
for each layer. The tube was allowed to stand vertically with the 
lower end in the water for a period of 40 days, and was then sampled 
without removing the lower end from the water. Commencing with 
the top inch of moistened soil the tube was taken down inch by inch 
as rapidly as possible. 
Tube No. 4 was packed in the same manner as tube No. 1, and 
turned end for end before being placed in position. Thus the top of 
the tube as it was packed became the lower end when placed in posi- 
tion. This tube stood 42 days and was then sampled without remov- 
ing the lower end from the water, the same as tube No. 3. 
- All four tubes had their joints covered with friction tape. 
In sampling these and all other tubes used in the experiments 
the bottom 1-inch section which stood with its lower end submerged 
half an inch below the water surface was discarded. Thus the bottom 
of the first 1-inch section tested was half an inch above the water 
surface. 
Table 3 gives the percentage of moisture in each inch of the four 
tubes. The first column gives the distance of the sample above the 
water or, stated accurately, the order of the section in the column 
from the water surface, omitting the first, or partly submerged 
section. Thus, 1 represents the soil of the first unsubmerged section; 
2 represents the soil of the second unsubmerged section, ete. The 
second, third, fourth, and fifth columns give the percentages of mois- 
ture as determined for tubes Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4. 
