WATER IN THE SOIL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 458, 20 April 1912, Page 6

WATER IN THE SOIL.

Many experiments have been made upon different kinds of crops and the amount of water required to produce a pound of dry matter varies greatly. The tests indicate that 2001b of water will be necessay to produce a pound of dry matter, while in other cases aa high as SOO'ib or 9001b will be necessary. Such a variation is due to the climatic conditions, locality, kind of crop, and kind of soil. In the humid regions less water is required than in the arid country, and this fact partly explains why a greater amount of water must be held in the soil in our irrigated districts of the west. Wheat,in all probabiity, will require less water, per pound of dry matter, than oats, and alfalfa requires more than oats.

If we assume that an average crop requires 4001b of water to produce lib of dry matter, and in the case of alfalfa, which produced four tons per acre for the season, will require for the above average about 51,200 cubic feet of water, or a depth of a little over 14in., over the entire acre. This is amount of water must be held in the soil particles as free water available for the plant growth. A good soil must be of such a nature as to act as a reservoir and at the same time supply the necessary chemical constituents to the plant. Mark Lane Express.