I06 AGRICULTURK OF MAINE. 



3. By promoting nitrification, the process by which 

 certain bacteria in the soil convert unavailable or- 

 ganic material into chemical forms that can be 

 directly used by plants. 

 Third : Cultivation conserves soil moisture. 



1. By increasing the water-holding capacity of the soil 



in rendering the latter more porous. 



2. By preventing evaporation of soil moisture. 



The importance of moisture conservation could hardly have 

 failed to impress itself upon Maine farmers and orchardists 

 this past season. A\'e have had in succession three very dry 

 summers in the fruit region and the last one was the dryest. 

 At Highmoor Farm the rainfall from April i to June 12. a peri- 

 od of almost eleven weeks in the most critical time of tree 

 activity was i 3-10 inches. To the end of the third week in 

 July, covering practically 16 weeks, the greater part of the grow- 

 ing season, the total precipitation was 2 6-10 inches. Neverthe- 

 less, the orchards sufifered in no way from lack of moisture, and 

 it is doubtful, considering the crop as a whole, if the size of 

 the fruit, already referred to, has been excelled in this State 

 under the most favorable conditions in regard to rainfall in any 

 season. In the weeks following the end of July abundant rain 

 fell, which of course aided much towards increasing the size of 

 the fruit. 



The small amount of rain that fell at intervals in the long 

 drought was conserved by the fine dust mulch produced by har- 

 rowing. This idea that frequent stirring serves to prevent 

 rather than hasten the drying out of the soil may seem at first 

 thought absurd. Its truth, however, is easily proved by a simple 

 experiment, the results of which the speaker gave at the field 

 meeting of this Society last August, and which your President 

 has asked me to repeat at this time. 



Three light wooden boxes, 8x8x10 inches, were lined with 

 paraffin to make them water tight. Into each moist soil of uni- 

 form nature was lightly packed. The surface of the first box 

 was left undisturbed throughout the experiment; that of the 

 second was thoroughly scratched or raked daily to the depth of 

 about one-half inch to imitate the work of a harrow. The 

 third box after filling with earth was covered with a sod, which 

 rooted in the soil. 



