24 REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



Among the observations made was that not only was 

 there less nitrate in the drainage water from the cropped 

 soil than from the fallow land, but that the deficiency 

 could not be accounted for merely by assimilation by the 

 crop. Either less nitrate was formed in the presence of 

 the crop or some other agent than the crop was assimilat- 

 ing the nitrate. The crops had been wheat and maize at 

 Pusa. In order to test if a like result is obtainable when 

 other crops are grown, the maize has been replaced by sunn 

 hemp; and wheat is grown in rotation on one gauge only. 

 In this manner it is hoped to ascertain whether there is a 

 deficiency of nitrate in the drainage water from this system 

 of cropping as there was from the wheat-maize. 



Reference was also made in my last report to estima- 

 tions of nitrate in fallow land throughout the season. 

 These were continued last monsoon and cold weather and 

 will be repeated during the coming cold weather. 



4. The Water Requirements of Crops. — Work was con- 

 tinued on this subject during last cold weather, more espe- 

 cially with reference to the transpiration ratio of crops 

 grown in the Cawnpore soil. This soil had not been em- 

 ployed previously in the pot-culture experiments at Pusa 

 and also the field experiments at Cawnpore had been inter- 

 fered with by bad seasons. The pot-cultures yielded 

 ratios very similar to what had been obtained in other 

 soils. The field plots yielded results which differed from 

 those at Pusa chiefly in the fact that the soil moisture was 

 drawn upon by the plant from a greater depth than was 

 the case at Pusa. 



5. Soils. IJsar. — The nature of the work on usar soil in 

 the United Provinces has been indicated in previous 

 reports, and especially in my last year's report. The ex- 

 amination of the soils taken from alkali spots in the Muttra 

 and Etah Districts left no doubt that these alkali spots are 

 identical in character whether they occur under well or 

 under canal irrigation. The experiments which have been 

 in progress at Pusa on some soil which was taken originally 



