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ABSTRACT FOUR large, weighing, monolithic lysimeters were designed, constructed and installed at Bushland, TX. Each lysimeter has a surface area of 9 m^ and a soil depth of 2.3 m. The soil within each lysimeter is an "undisturbed" monolith of Pullman clay loam. Each soil monolith has a mass of approximately 45 Mg, including the container mass. The lysimeters are installed in a 20 ha field with one lysimeter located in the center of each quarter of the field. The parameters of wind disturbance, water infiltration, drainage, thermal continuity, sidewall water percolation, rooting depth, scale stability, row spacing geometry, and safety were considered in the design. A compact mechanical type weighing system and load cell was used with an overall capability of detecting mass changes equivalent to a minimum of 0.05 mm of water. Automated data acquisition and telecommunication to offsite computers were utilized.