102 TEANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



REPORT OF AD-INTERIM COMMITTEE FOR CENTRAL 



ILLINOIS. 



BY PEOF. T. J. BUKRILL, CHAMPAIGN". 



The thing of paramount interest to horticulturists during the 

 season, was the prolonged drouth extending, with more or less 

 severity, from March until November. The average rainfall in Cen- 

 tral Illinois is about 4.98 inches for June ; in 1887 it was but 1.62 

 inches. For July the average is 2.58 inches; in 1887 it was 1.65 inches. 

 For these two months there was a deficiency of 4.29 inches, or consid- 

 erably more than half. Together with the lack of rain, the tempera- 

 ture ranged very high, causing unusual evaporation. Many crops 

 failed entirely, and everywhere, after midsummer, the evil effects were 

 very visible. Some other observations were made and recorded for 

 this report, especially the imperfect fertilization of the strawberry, but 

 so important were the studies upon soil during drouth, by Mr. T. F. 

 Hunt, of the University of Illinois, it has been thought best to con- 

 fine this report to them. At first, Mr. Hunt undertook the work 

 for the Ad-interim Committee, but as he was solely under the pay of 

 the University, it was afterward considered best to issue the matter 

 as a bulletin from the latter. I now extract from that publication : 



METHOD OF PROCEDURE. 



An excavation was made a little more than two feet deep, one 

 side being made vertical and smooth. By means of a trowel, made 

 for the purpose, a block of soil three inches sc|uare and twelve inches 

 in vertical length was taken out of this side from top downwards. 

 The soil was transferred to a pan and immediately weighed. A like 

 prism from the second foot in depth was then similarly removed and 

 treated. In all cases duplicate samples were taken under like condi- 

 tions one rod distant. In the table given, each even numbered sam- 

 ple is a duplicate of the preceding odd numbered sample. The un- 

 accented number indicates the first foot, or top soil, and the accented 

 number the second foot, or subsoil. 



EFFECTS OF TILE DRAIN". 



After comparing several samples from various situations, and 

 finding some evidence of more moisture in tiled land, a place was 

 sought where all other conditions were as nearly as possible the 

 same. I found the desired conditions on the farm of Mr. E. 0. 

 Chester, in Champaign. Running almost parallel in a southwesterly 

 direction at about eighty rods from each other are two depressions 

 in his land which were formerly equally wet. One of these is now tiled, 

 and in all seasons is in tillable condition, while the untiled land is stated 

 by Mr. Chester to be a little troublesome to cultivate in a wet sea- 

 son. These depressions both run through the same oat stubble field 



