134 



EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



5-6 EDWARD VII., A. 1996 



turbed plot contained slightly higher percentages of moisture than the cultivated plot, 

 but the differences are very small and we may conclude that both soils were very nearly 

 at the point of saturation throughout the season. 



Series 11. — Plots D. E. and F. : — Plots E. and F. were sown in rows 8 inches apart, 

 respectively with Hairy "Vetch and tares on Jime 30. Plot D. was cultivated June 16, 

 24 and 28, July 12, 22, August 4, 17 and 25, September 1, 13 and 25. The first collection 

 of soils was made on June 16. 



Series II. — Conservation of Soil Moisture, C. E. F., Ottawa, Ont., 1905, 



Date of Collection. 



June 10 



M .% 

 July 14 



M 28 

 Aug. 11 



„ 25 

 Sept. 8 



n 22 

 Oct. 6 



., 20 



Rainfall. 



*5-37 

 116 

 1-25 

 1-85 

 214 

 2-45 

 201 

 1-61 

 •74 

 1-52 



Plot D. 

 Cultivated. 



Water. 



Per cent. 



13 16 



12-81 

 13-24 

 11-79 

 10-44 

 8-56 

 10-08 

 14-76 

 12-7!» 

 10 08 



Per acre. 



Tons. Lbs. 



300 

 297 

 308 

 270 

 235 

 185 

 226 

 350 

 290 

 387 



1,539 

 823 

 1,837 

 1,130 

 1,934 

 1,003 

 1,847 

 1,049 

 1,759 

 1,770 



Plot E. 

 Hairy "Vetch. 



Water. 



Per acre. 



Tons. Lbs. 



266 

 244 

 240 

 183 

 185 

 198 

 241 

 288 

 209 

 424 



188 



1,173 



36 



931 



305 



16 



1,077 



1,844 



1,185 



1,889 



Plot F. 

 Tares. 



Water. 



Per acre. 



Tons. Lis. 



280 

 2.36 

 262 

 230 

 218 

 205 

 220 

 232 

 245 

 371 



463 

 1,960 

 1,057 



808 

 1,384 



702 

 1,364 

 1,0.34 

 1,208 

 1,778 



*May 1 to June 16 



Compared with plot D., cultivated, the soil of plot E., bearing Hairy Vetch, showed 

 a slight falling off in moisture in the early part of the season. After the middle of 

 August, however, save on one or two dates, it would not appear that the soil with the 

 crop had at all suffered any moisture exhaustion, so ample was the rainfall and effective 

 the protection offered by the heavy growth that was made. 



The draft on the soil moisture through the growth of Tares was very similar to 

 that noticed in the case of the Hairy Vetch; it was not sufficient to cause any very 

 marlced effect. This we attribute to the causes just mentioned. The Tares, as did the 

 Vetch, grew luxuriantly, completely covering the ground. 



The results this season at Ottawa have not emphasized the necessity of cultivation 

 for conserving soil moisture, but this is easily explained by reference to the rainfall, 

 which it will be seen was both ample and well distributed throughout the season. They 

 must not be considered as throwing any doubt upon the useful function of cultivation 

 in districts where the rainfall is deficient, for that has been amply proven by our expe- 

 ments in past seasons, confirmatory evidence also being given in the chapters following, 

 stating the results obtained this year at Nappan, N.S. 



EXPERIMENTS AT THE EXPERIMEN-TAL FARM, NAPPAN^ N.S. 



In the experiments conducted on the Experimental Farm, Nappan, N.S., six plots 

 were employed. In this series we are able to contrast throughout the season the 

 moisture content of soil (1) bearing an oat crop, (2) carrying a second season's growth 

 of clover (with Timothy) and harvested, (3) similar to (2) but with the growth cut 

 from time to time and used as a mulch, (4) cultivated till June 15, then sown with 

 Crimson clover, (5) cultivated till July 20, then sown with Crimson clover, (6) cul- 

 tivated until July 20 then left undisturbed. 



