CHAPTER VI

LOSS OF SOIL WATER


LOSS OF SOIL WATER AND MEANS OF CHECKING THE LOSS

We noticed in previous paragraphs that soil might at times have too
much water in it for proper ventilation and so check the growth of the
roots of the plant. Now is it possible that soil water may be lost or
wasted and if so can we check the loss?

In the experiment to find out how well the soils would take in the
rainfall (page 40) we noticed that the clay soil took in the water
very slowly and that on a field of clay soil part of the rain water
would be likely to run off over the surface and be lost. Free water
may be lost then, by surface wash.

We noticed methods of checking this loss, namely, pulverizing the soil
with the tillage tools and putting organic matter into it to make it
absorb the rain more readily.

We noticed that water poured on the sand ran through it very quickly
and was apt to be lost by leaching or percolation. This we found could
be checked by rolling the soil and by putting organic matter into it
to close the pores.

We learned that roots take water from the soil for the use of the