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Show SEASON TO STORE MOISTURE Rainfall Below Average and Witt Farmer Will Conterve Supply for Lite of Cropa Later On. Thin Is the senium of the year when moisture In usuully atoied In the soil by copious rainfall for iifio of plant life during July and August whun rainfall rain-fall U usually deficient. The rainfall I remarkably below the average this season and the wine farmer will use every mean available avail-able to conserve the aupply for use of his crops later on. When soil has been loosened to a food depth It forms a reservoir, the water from a rain slowly moves downward down-ward through It until absorbed, and each minute gratn of earth becomes covered with an invisible film of moisture. mois-ture. After a rain the sun and the wind dry out the surface soil and CHrry awav the moisture contained In It. Then the water from the damper soil below moves upward to wet the surface grains and Is In turn evaporated. evap-orated. This movement continues In land not cultivated und extend to a depth of several feet, often. In a dry time, taking out of tho soil In a week moisture equal to more than n inch of rainfall. When the surface soil Is stirred after n rain the tiny grains are separated sep-arated so that the water does not euslh pass from one to another. The movement of the moisture is checked and evaporation Is greatly reduced Sin h shallow cultivation Is called an earth mulch, bi cause It has the effect of holding the moisture In the soil, lis tint effected by a mulch of straw or a covering of toard. Tin farmer's Mipply of moisture for maturing a crop of coin during July and A 1 1 ac 1 1 f 1 1 often depends upon his skill and judgment In tn aiti t I n Ihk an earth mulch over his cultivated fields. He should study the pilnelples gov-ernltiK gov-ernltiK the absorption and movement of water In the soil, until be thoroughly thorough-ly understands and appreciates them. Then he can Intelligently conduit the operations for maintaining the earth mulch. Many farmers In various parts of the country have tried the experiment of drugging an old planter wheel through the corn rows after the last cultivation with b view of pulverizing; the soil and filling; the cracks In tho ground, thus preventing; the escape of moisture and adding several bushels per sere to the yield of the crop. While these experiments havo proven successful In a large degree, It was found that the planter wheel often Injured In-jured the brace roots of the corn, besides be-sides often becoming; clogged with clods or trash that prevented thorough thor-ough work. |