Apr. 9,1917 
Water-Retaining Capacity of Soil 
61 
April, one of 0.55 inch on the 20th and the other of 1.38 on the 28th, 
moistened the surface. About a week after the latter date, on May 6 
to 8, while the surface 6-inch section was still moist from the recent 
rain, samples to a depth of 6 feet were taken from nine fields near Mc¬ 
Cook. The hygroscopic coefficients and the ratios are reported in 
Table XXV. In the case of three prairie fields in which the moisture 
content of the subsoil had been reduced the previous season to prac¬ 
tically the hygroscopic coefficient, the rains had raised the ratio of the 
whole of the first foot to 2.1 to 2.3, the upper half being the more moist; 
the second foot also had been affected, the ratio in it having been raised to 
1.3 or 1.4. One field of wheat (winter) and one field that had borne 
corn the previous year and on which the stubble was still undisturbed 
showed similar moisture conditions; while the two other wheat fields 
and the remaining two with corn stubble, although showing similar 
moisture conditions on the surface, exhibit a higher ratio in the subsoil, 
as though the previous year's crops had not fully exhausted this of its 
moisture. If we compare the nine fields, we find the ratio in the sur¬ 
face foot to vary between 1.8 and 2.8. 
Table XXV. — Ratio of moisture content to hygroscopic coefficient in fields near McCook , 
Nebr ., on May 6, 7, and 8> 1QI2 
HYGROSCOPIC COEFFICIENT 
Depth. 
Prairie fields. 
Wheat fields. 
Com stubble. 
I. 
II. 
III. 
I. 
II. 
III. 
I. 
II. 
III. 
Feet . 
0 to % . 
8.6 
8. 0 
8.5 
7*3 
8. 2 i 
8-5 
10. 8 
8*5 
8.6 
K to i... 
10. 6 
10. 9 
11. 7 
8.6 
io*3 
10. 7 
11. 4 
10. 1 
10.3 
10.3 
9.6 
10. 1 
7.8 
9.8 
9. 2 
9*7 
9. 1 
11.9 
3 . 
8-3 
8.4 
9.4 
8.4 
8.6 
8.6 
8-5 
9.0 
4. 
7-5 
8.7 
8.7 
7.8 
9.0 
8.0 
8. 1 
8*3 
5. 
7.8 
8.4 
7*9 
8.6 
7*5 
8.8 
8.0 
7*7 
8*3 
7. 6 
7.2 
7*5 
7*4 
7.0 
7*9 
8.5 
8.0 
RATIO OP MOISTURE CONTENT TO HYGROSCOPIC COEFFICIENT 
0 to K* . 
2 * 3 
2*5 
2*3 
2.8 
2 * 5 
2. 1 
1.8 
1.8 
2. 2 
Ktoi. k . 
2. 0 
2. 2 
2. 0 
2.6 
2. 1 
2. 0 
i *9 
1.9 
2. 1 
1.4 
1.4 
/•3 
2. 0 
1. 6 
1. 2 
1.4 
2. 1 
i -5 
3 .. 
1. 1 
1. 0 
a 
1. 1 
i *5 
i *3 
1. 0 
1. 6 
1. 2 
4 . 
1. 0 
1. 0 
¥) 
1. 1 
1.4 
i *3 
1. 1 
1. 2 
1. 2 
5 . 
1. 0 
1.1 
I. O 
1. 1 
i *3 
1. 1 
1. 1 
1. 2 
1.1 
6.. 
1. 1 
i *3 
(a) 
i *3 
1. 2 
U 2 
1. 1 
1. 1 
1. 2 
» Samples lost. 
• No rain fell between April 28 and June 6; but between the latter date 
and June 18 there were nine rainy days, with a total precipitation of 2.77 
