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Show LOSSES OF SOIL MOISTURE By Aid of Mulches Dry Farmer Is Enabled En-abled to Conserve Sufficient Water to Produce Crops. (By JAMES MARSHALL. Assistant Professor Pro-fessor of Agronomy, Colorado Experiment Experi-ment Station.) There are three ways in which a soil loses its moisture by percolation, Evaporation and transpiration through the leaves of the plant in the form of vapor. In Colorado the greatest loss Is from evaporation and transpiration. Losses by evaporation may be reduced re-duced to a certain extent by mulching mulch-ing the soil. Mulches form a layer which Is rather impervious to the movement of water. Generally speaking speak-ing the average mulch is about three Inches deep and is obtained either by using a harrow or some other form of cultivation. It is by the aid of mulch Hint the dry farmer Is able to conserve sufficient amounts of moisture mois-ture to produce crops. This treatment is of great Importance Impor-tance In managing land In cultivated crops such as corn and sugar beets-j beets-j whenever a dry eerlod cornea on. |