=103. Sources of Soil Heat.=—The heat of the soil comes from three sources, _viz._: solar heat, as the sun’s rays, heat of chemical and vital action within the soil, and the original heat of the earth’s interior. The latter is sensibly a constant quantity, and of great value to plants. The heat of chemical and vital action is not great in amount except in a few special cases but is often, as in germination, of the greatest importance to plant growth. The sun, therefore, remains the greatest source of heat of practical importance in relation to the production of crops. Dark-colored soils, absorbing most and radiating the fewest rays, must attain the highest temperature. Schübler’s classical researches on soil temperatures, show that there is at times a difference of over 7° in temperature between white and black soils, all other conditions being alike. Schübler’s researches, being made on dry soils in the laboratory, do not, however, apply wholly to conditions in the field. =104. Influence of Specific Heat.=—The heat which a soil receives and retains is largely due to the specific heat of the soil. The specific heat of a body is expressed by a number which shows the amount of heat necessary to raise a given weight of the body 1° of temperature, as compared with the amount necessary to raise the same weight of water 1°. The specific heat of the soil is usually between 0.20 and 0.25, while that of water taken as the standard is unity. =105. Influence of Moisture.=—The moisture of the soil possesses great influence on the soil temperature, so much so that a dry, light-colored soil may attain a greater degree of warmth than a moist, dark-colored one. The action of water in reducing soil temperature is easily explained. In our latitude, we see the water in all its forms, solid, liquid, and gaseous, and we know that these forms are the direct result of temperature. The changing of water from the solid to the liquid or gaseous form is performed at the expense of heat; the more water evaporated from the soil the more heat must be used for the evaporation. Therefore, the more water contained in the soil at any given time the lower must be its temperature during subsequent exposure to sun heat because of the greater evaporation. The experiments of Liebenberg, Pattner, Schübler and Dickenson have practically settled all the questions of soil temperatures. The radiation of heat from the soil, and the consequent cooling propensity of the latter, are directly proportional to the absorptive power of the soil. Two soils of like absorptive power towards heat possess, as a rule, equal radiating power. In a general way, it can be said the greater the heating capacity and conductivity of a soil the more readily and rapidly does it give off its heat and become cooled.