A soil moisture meter. Depending on the “capillary pull” of the soil. With illustrations of its use in fallow land, grass orchard, and irrigated orchards

Abstract

1. A soil moisture meter which gives direct and continuous measurement of the soil moisture content is described. The instrument consists of a special porous pot filled with water, connected by a tube to a mercury manometer. The pot is buried in the soil, whose capillary pull causes the mercury to rise. The height to which the mercury rises depends on the amount of moisture in the soil, and also on the size of soil particles and the degree of compactness of the soil. (The last two factors remain constant for an instrument in one position.)2. To read actual moisture percentage each instrument has to be calibrated for the soil in which it is placed. Once this is done, all sampling and weighing is eliminated.