During the past two years, the writer has supervised a research and study of infiltration by the Illinois State Planning Commission. Among the results was a procedure whereby infiltration‐capacities can be computed from observed average loss‐rates “fav”. The average loss‐rates, sometimes called “average areal infiltration‐capacities,” are fully described by Dr. Robert E. Horton in the Transactions of the American Geophysical Union. Their derivation is now a standard practice in hydrology. Based on our work, we make the following comments.When average loss‐rates are plotted against time of duration, they show little or no correlation excepting the few, relatively small, loss‐rates which are derived from long durations or with initially wet soils. The average loss‐rate bears little resemblance to either initial infiltration‐capacity, fo, or ultimate infiltration‐capacity, fc.
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