TILLAGE AND ROTATION EXPERIMENTS AT NEPHI, UTAH. 7 
MOISTURE CONTENT OF FALLOW. 
Much of the argument in favor of fall plowing has been based 
upon the belief that the rough surface of fall-plowed land is in 
better condition than unplowed stubble land for absorbing the 
winter precipitation. For the purpose of determining the accuracy 
of this theory, soil-moisture studies were made in connection with 
the experiment discussed here. Soil samples were taken to a depth 
of 6 feet from each fallow plat at the beginning, in the middle, and 
at the end of the season, and the moisture content of each foot 
section was determined, as previously described in this bulletin. 
The data thus collected during the four years from 1909 to 1912, 
inclusive, are presented in Table II, which shows the annual and 
average percentages of moisture in each foot of soil and the average 
percentages in the first 6 feet of soil on each of the fallow plats in 
April, June, and September. 
Table II. — Annual and average percentages of moisture for each of the first 6 feet of soil 
in fallow plats in a test of spring plowing compared with fall plowing at the Nephi 
substation, samples taken in April, June, and September, for the years 1909 to 1912, 
inclusive. 
Date of determination. 
Season and depth of 
sampling. 
1909 
1910 
1911 
1912 
Four-year 
average. 
id 
ft 
< 
SO 
CN 
CO 
3- 
3 
1-5 
00 
ft 
CO 
m 
CN 
ft 
< 
CN 
CO 
a 
3 
ft 
CO 
CO 
ft 
< 
CN 
a 
CN 
+i 
ft 
CO 
CO 
u 
ft 
< 
CO 
CN 
CO 
Pi 
3 
*-> 
CO 
ft 
CO 
co 
ft 
< 
CO 
PI 
3 
ft 
CO 
CO 
Spring plowing: 
lfoot 
2 feet 
3 feet 
4 feet 
5 feet 
6 feet 
20.60 
20.37 
20.10 
20. 10 
18.70 
19.30 
15.90 
19.45 
18.80 
19.10 
19.17 
19.05 
17.05 
19.00 
20.45 
20.15 
19.10 
18.40 
21.27 
21.25 
20.50 
21.07 
21.40 
19. 05 
12.35 
18.93 
18.70 
18.48 
20. 10 
18.80 
11.88 
18.38 
17.65 
15.78 
16.88 
17.80 
20.48 
19.57 
21.02 
19.34 
17.04 
17.20 
15.86 
19.36 
19.09 
17.78 
16.69 
17.78 
13.09 
18.10 
16.93 
17.12 
15.34 
17.73 
14.98 
22.65 
21.88 
22.55 
22. 07 
18.60 
14.18 
19.80 
19.70 
20.50 
20. 34 
18.20 
12.59 
19.47 
19.55 
19.63 
17.80 
15.05 
19.33 
20. 96 
20. 87 
20.76 
19.80 
18.54 
14.57 
19.38 
19.07 
18.96 
19.08 
18.46 
13.65 
18.74 
18.64 
18.17 
17.28 
17.24 
Average 
19.86 
18.58 
19.02 
20.76 
17.89 
16.40 
19.11 
17.76 
16.38 
20. 46 
18.79 
17.35 
20.04 
18.25 
17.29 
Fall plowing: 
1 foot 
2 feet 
3 feet 
4 feet 
5 feet 
6 feet 
21.10 
20.92 
20. 00 
19. 80 
17.97 
18.65 
14.60 
19. 60 
19.60 
18.85 
17.90 
20.32 
17.65 
17.60 
19.05 
18. 95 
17.75 
19.30 
20.93 
20.88 
20. 13 
19.80 
19. 10 
19.57 
14.45 
19.48 
18.20 
19.25 
18.55 
19.80 
12.83 
18.05 
17.83 
17.75 
17.05 
16.98 
21.29 
21. 59 
20. 03 
15.24 
16. 13 
18.78 
17.98 
19.60 
17.55 
14.76 
14.79 
16.75 
12.26 
17.76 
17.43 
15.76 
14. 95 
15. 25 
21.55 
21.45 
19. 62 
12.82 
11.39 
14.99 
15.82 
19.63 
18. 25 
15.21 
13. 30 
18.40 
13.29 
18. 67 
18. 13 
15.45 
12.40 
14.49 
21.22 
21.21 
19. 94 
16.91 
16. 15 
18.00 
15.71 
19.58 
18.40 
17.02 
16. 13 
18.82 
14.01 
18.02 
18.11 
16.98 
15.54 
16.50 
19.74 
18.48 
18.38 
20. 07 
18.29 
16.75 
18. 85 
16.90 
15.57llfi.97 
16.77 
15.41 
18.90 
17.61 
16. 53 
Table II shows (1) that in every case except the second and third 
sampling of 1910 the average percentage of moisture in the 6 feet 
of soil was higher in the spring-plowed plat; (2) that the first foot 
of soil in the fall-plowed plat contained, as a rule, a higher percentage 
of moisture than the first foot of the spring-plowed plat; (3) that 
the slight difference in the moisture content of the second foot of 
the plats favored the fall-plowed plat during the spring and summer, 
while it favored the spring-plowed plat at seeding time in the fall; 
