HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
Deep Storage of Moisture
(Special to the Farm Magazine.)
WHILE PRACTICALLY all farmers
that make any claim to progres
sive agricultural practices are
aware of the importance of deep stor
age of moisture in dry farming, the
importance of deep storage reaches fur
ther than merely affording a larger
supply of moisture for the dry seasons
and naturally implies conditions that
lead to a deeper rooting system of the
growing crops.
"Thus," says Professor Scudder, the
Oregon Agricultural College agronom
ist, "the crop roots have a great area
of soil from which they obtain stored
moisture and plant food. The deeper
stored moisture which cannot reach
the upper layers of soil rapidly enough
through capillary action to supply the
seeded sustenance, can be utilized by
the deeply rooted plants as the hot
weather approaches and the grain fill
ing period comes. It is this sub soil
moisture which acts as the dry farm
er's reserve and permits him to pro
duce a good crop practically without
rain.
"Getting the moisture into the soil
is almost as important as is its con
servation after it gets there. It is at
least of first importance, for moisture
cannot be conserved until it is taken
into the soil reservoir.
Inducing Deep Storage.
"To Induce deep storage the surface
soil must be maintained in an absorp
tive, sponge-like condition throughout
the precipitation period as far as pos
sible, as already described, by plow
ing or disking, increasing the hnmns
content, etc., so that precipitation will
strike in and be carried to the subsoil
immediately, not only by percolation
bnt by capillary action downward.
"Indeed, one of the most important
functions of capillary action is to carry
moisture downward into the lower,
drier areas after percolation has ceased.
Here again a moist subsoil is of great
est Importance, for a far-reaching capil
lary movement downward is hastened
where the soil particles are already
moist, "slicking" the way for a more
rapid passage of further moisture.
Handling Properly.
"Whore the surfaee soil is left hard
and compact over winter and early
spring, not only loss from surface wash
ing occurs, but moisture does not pene
trate into the subsoil. It remains
largely in the surface layers. This re
sults in shallow rooting of the crop
plants and a consequent larger growth
of leaf and stalk, a larger loss by
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evaporation, a greater exhaustion of
the plant foods in the surface layers
and, of course, greater suffering in the
dry, hot weather when filling time
comes.
"In properly handled soils in re
gions of 10 to 15 inches rainfall, 'the
moisture may be carried to depths of
8 and 10 feet and at this depth it is
by no means beyond reach of even the
I WAS always called a crank on the
care of farm implements. What
they meant was that I took more
time than was profitable to eare for the
tools; but to me it was more pleasure
to use a well-cared-for tool than some
weatherbeaten or rusty affair, aside
from the quality of the work done with
it
The harrow was the only tool that I
unhitched from in the field, it being
too inconvenient to take in. Then the
quality of the work it would do in
either case could hardly be taken into
consideration; so that harrow was
cleaned and well painted onee in two
years, and it was out in the weather
about six weeks every spring. It cost
$18 and I nsed It 30 years.
There was a watering place in the
machine shed, and hitching up and un-
comparatively shallow rooted grain
crops. Their roots strike steadily deeper
and deeper and draw upon this deeply
stored moisture directly and indirectly
through the lesser distance that capil
lary action must carry the more deeply
stored moisture to them. As a matter
of fact, it is not nncommon to find a
portion of the roots of the wheat plant
penetrating to a depth of eight or ten
feet, although this does not occur, of
course, except where moisture has pene
trated that far, for root penetration
follows only in the path of moisture."
hitching were done in there. If it was
a cold morning in early spring, the
horses much preferred to go in there
to drink than at the outdoor tank, and
the same when it was hot. In showery
weather, when working in the field,
the doors were left open at one end or
the other, whichever seemed the most
favorable from the elements; then if
we had to make a home run to beat
the Bhower, everything was favorable
for it
The horses that took the plow out to
the field in the morning brought it
back again at noon. The plow must be
sharpened every noon when in use. It
took about 18 minutes to take off the
plowshare, hammer it out cold on the
anvil and put it on again. Then after
dinner it seemed to draw 30 per cent
easier when fresh sharpened. While
the sharp plow would ran deeper, th
dull plow would ran shallower. At
night the plow was brought in. Then
on the end of a shelf sat a tomato eaa
with some machine oil and a paint
brush in it, and it was a pleasure rather
than a task to grease all the bright
parts of the plow. Then if there was
some damp weather and the plow was
not used for a few days, there was no
question but what it would do its part
satisfactorily when wanted.
The same with the planter; it was
handier to take ont some corn on th
planter than any other way. And with
the cultivator, the mower, the tedder
or hay rake, the horse or team that
took them to the field brought them
back again before they were unhitched.
And even the binder the same; at
morning and noon when the binder was
in use there were 15 minutes or mors
spent on the binder with wrench, pliers,
oil hole cleaner, oil can, etc, and I
thought it was time well spent
When the season's use of each tool
was over, it was cleaned, all bright
parts greased, then put away in its
place. It was arranged to take tools
apart but little; all heavy parts put
back on ground floor, all lighter parts
put overhead. If any repairs wen
needed on tools when put away, not
was made of it, and then at some con
venient time it was attended to. This
to some looked like lots of needless
work, bat to me it was a pleasure, or
the poetry of farming. And it was
profitable, for the tools lasted about
twice as long.
4
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