REPORT OF TEE CEEMIST 149 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



An estimation of the lime soluble in 1 per cent citric acid Solution gave "075 per 

 cent. 



As regards nitrogen, the soil must be considered much above the average, and this 

 fact no doubt in a large measure accounts for the high productiveness of the land and 

 its suitability for wheat growing. It is also very well supplied with organic matter. 

 In lime, the percentage obtained by using hot, strong hydrochloric acid as a solvent, is 

 by no means insignificant, but that a very small proportion exists in an active and 

 assimilable condition is evident from the small proportion soluble in dilute citric acid, 

 viz., *075 per cent. 



It seems, therefore, from our examination that this is to be considered a rich soil, 

 but one that might be improved by thorough drainage, careful working and the judi- 

 cious use of lime. An application of this ' amendment,' Bay, at the rate of 40 bushels 

 per acre, harrowed under, would, we believe, increase the soil's productiveness, and in 

 conjunction with drainage, weathering and 'dry' working of the land, materially 

 ameliorate its pbysical condition. 



The continued use of lime makes it desirable to supply the soil from time to time 

 with organic matter. This, of course, may be done by an application of stable ma- 

 nure, but when there is only a limited supply of this available it will be advisable to 

 have recourse to the turning under from time to time of a green crop — preferably one 

 of the legumes, such as clover or pease. 



THE RELATION OF ' COVER ' CROPS AND CULTIVATION TO SOIL MOISTURE. 



For some years past there has been a keen interest evinced by the orchardists and 

 fruit growers of Ontario and eastern Canada in the question of cover crops followed 

 by bare cultivation. The subject is being continually discussed as one of first import- 

 ance in the horticultural press and at fruit growers' conventions, and there is already 

 on record a considerable amount of practical experience, chiefly of a favourable char- 

 acter, regarding this system of soil treatment. The old method of allowing orchards 

 to remain in permanent sod is being abandoned and in its place this plan is being 

 odopted. 



With a view to obtaining data that might prove valuable, more especially towards 

 suggesting a rational treatment of orchard soils in eastern Ontario and adjacent areas 

 in Quebec, we have, with the co-operation of the horticultural division, carried on 

 during the past season certain investigations in the orchards of the Experimental 

 Farm, Ottawa. This work has furnished results of some importance, and wilL we 

 think, prove of more than ordinary interest to many of our readers. 



We may briefly at the outset state the plan of the system and the principles under- 

 lying it.* The land is ploughed in late spring — usuaUy between the latter part of 

 April and the middle of May — and k~pt thoroughly cultivated until early in July, 

 when one of the legumes, generally mammoth or common red clover, is sown. This, 

 as a rule, is allowed to remain till the following spring, possibly the second or third 

 week in May, when the growth is turned under with the plough and the soil cultivated 

 as many times as is deemed necessary until the beginning of July, when clover is again 

 sown. According to the nature of the soil and the rainfall to be expected in the dis- 

 trict, the dates for these operations must be varied somewhat ; thus, if drought usually 

 prevails in the early summer months the ploughing under of the clover should not be 

 later than the middle of April — even if there be little or no spring growth — so that by 

 cultivation the spring showers may be conserved. On the other hand, if a generous 

 and well distributed precipitation may be expected the clover may be allowed to remain 

 growing throughout the summer, mowing the crop when necessary. The objects of 

 the system are, primarily, the enrichment of the soil with humus and nitrogen and the 

 conservation of moisture for the use of the trees during the drier months of summer, 

 and incidentally the aeration of the soil and the liberation of its plant food. It also 



•For a fuller account, the reader Is referred to Bulletin No. 37, Experimental Farms 

 Series, recently written by Mr. W. T. Macoun, Horticulturist. C.E.F. 



