Les Henry, one of Canada’s premier soil experts, has written a light-hearted book about his passion. Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water begins with, “This is not a textbook ….” Retired in 1996, Henry is a professor emeritus at the University of Saskatchewan, a private consultant, and farmer. The first three chapters of his 218 page book are about soil fundamentals, with plenty of photographs to illustrate them. The next four chapters provide practical information for how to apply fertilizer, deal with soil salinity, calculate crop yields based on soil water use, and determine soil moisture on farms with a soil probe. The remaining half of the book includes chapters on the quality of the lakes and ground waters of Saskatchewan, and the water in a farmer’s sprayer and how it affects the chemicals in it.

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003