Millard County Chronicle | 1912-07-25 | Page 7 | Soil is Nature's Reservoir

SOIL IS NATURE'S RESERVOIF Rain Does Net Readily Penetrate Caked Surface Cultivation Prevents Pre-vents the Run-Off. (Hy C. It. IIARNfl. Mlnneaota, Experiment Station.) The subsoil Is nature's storage reservoir res-ervoir for the moisture which, when , rains are far apart, shall maintain ths j vitality of vegetation. The larger the j proportion of the rainfall which cn be made to find Its way to that reser voir, lu all lands sufficiently dry for ! cultivation, the greater the capacity of the growing crop against drought The rain does not readily penetrate ; a dry, caked surface soil, because the ' pores of such soils are already filled ! with air, which condition makes It ! repel water like a dry sponge. This j air Is so slowly expelled that consid j erable rain may run oT without mate- j rlally benefitting the crop. j Cultivation retards or enilrely pre j vents the run off; very likely It may j enable the rain to penetrate to tha i subsoil, and thus it assists In the re-) tentlon of moisture against an always I possible day when the "heavens shall ! be ns brans," and w hen. If nature s j reservoir be empty, the growing crop j must perish. j