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TIIK JIllNTJIlA' BULLETIN. 



11' the organic materials are purchased on the basis of weight, it is 

 evident that the water content of these materials is a very important 

 factor in determining the comparative value of the materials; for 

 instance, in one test a comparison of the water content of two organic 

 materials to be used for mulches showed that one of them contained 

 15 per cent of water on the basis of its dry weight, while the other 

 material contained 152 per cent of water. It is evident, therefore, that 

 in order to arrive at a fair and equitable valuation of organic materials 

 to be used as mulches, or for other purposes in orchard work, a knowl- 

 edge of the water content of these materials is desirable. 



The method of securing fair and representative samples of the organic 

 materials to be examined for water content is a practical matter, and 

 one of considerable importance. Mr. Frank F. Chase, of Riverside. 

 has devised a method for securing such samples, which may prove to 

 be of interest to the citrus growers who purchase manure, alfalfa, bean 

 straw or other such material for use in their orchards. The apparatus 



Fig. 55. — Cutting end of the sampling tube showing the 

 arrangement of the cutting edge. 



used for this purpose consists of a tube somewhat similar in arrange- 

 ment and appearance to the King soil tube. Two different sizes of 

 sampling tubes have been made, one for use in sampling carload or 

 other large lots of manure, and the other for sampling bales of alfalfa, 

 bean straw, corn stalks or other similar materials. 



The manure sampling tube, a photograph of which is shown in 

 Fig. 54, is about 6 feet in length and about 2 inches in diameter. One 

 end is made with a sharp saw-tooth like cutting edge, as shown in the 

 accompanying illustration ( Fig. 55), arranged so as to cut down through 

 the manure somewhat on the principle of the knives commonly used for 

 cutting hay in the stack. At the other end of the tube an extra ring 

 of metal is welded onto the tube in order to give it added support. 

 A hole is cut through this ring and the tube so that a handle can be 

 pushed through it for use in twisting the tube when the sample is being- 

 taken. It has been found in practice desirable to cut a sample about 

 one foot or less in depth, then shake or push it out into a can in which 

 it is to be dried. Another sample is then taken below the first one. and 



