250 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Cabbage appeared to lu' ])eiu'litL'(l by iiiulclun<j;. Two years out of 3 the size of 

 the lieads was noticeably larjj;er and rotted less oh tlie mulched plats. The mulched 

 cabbage, however, suffered more from the attacks of grasshopix-rs. It is stated that 

 the plants are more easily nuilched 2 to 4 weeks after planting than when smaller. 



With tomatoes the nudched i)lants were smaller but the fruit yield larger than 

 with cultivated plants. Less rot and more jierfect specimens also characterized the 

 fruit of the nmlclied plats. In general mulching proved advantageous with tomatoes, 

 but care should T)e taken not to apply the mulch before the young plants are well 

 established, ^rulched tomatoes are also injured more by early fall frosts than when 

 cultivated. 



Mulched peas were somewhat later than cultivated peas, but further work is 

 required with this crop before any definite conclusions can be drawn. 



Navy and (lolden Wax beans were decidedly Ijenefited by nuilching. The Lima 

 beans showed but little difference as regards the 2 methods of culture. It is believed 

 that in normal seasons mulching increases the yield of beans over cultivation except 

 in cases of late planting or naturally late varieties, when, by delaying maturity, the 

 beans are more likely to be injured by early fall frosts. 



A larger yield of better developed cucumbers w^as secured on the mulched than on 

 the (lultivated plats. The mulched plants were somewhat later than the others and 

 were less affected by plant lice. The results with muskmelons and watermelons 

 were not conclusive. The tests showed, however, that if mulching is to be practiced 

 with these crops, the mulch must not be applied until the plants are thoroughly well 

 establisiied. ]\Iulching proved very undesiral)le with sweet corn during the wet 

 season, and it is thought douljtful if it will ever j^rove of practical use for this easily 

 cultivated crop. The yields obtained with beets were not decidedly in favor of 

 either method of culture. It is thought probable, however, that less labor is 

 required to mulch beets than to cultivate them. Salsify, like beets, showed no 

 marked differences in favor of either methdd of culture. On low ground, during a 

 wet season, carrots proved to be benefited by mulching, Avhile the re\'erse w'as true 

 with parsnips. The quality of the parsnips was also poorer on the mulched ground. 



Early mulching of onions proved decidedly injurious. Transplanted onions on 

 mulched plats gave slightly increased yields in some instances and decreased yields 

 in others. The labor involved in nuilching is jirobably less than in cultivation. 

 Mulching proved undesirable with drilled onions owing to the difficulty of spreading 

 the straw without injuring the stand of plants. 



With potatoes, mulching on the whole has proved very satisfactory. The yield 

 has been increased by mulching and the quality injured only in very wet seasons. 

 In a sj^ecial test of a -l-in. and 8-in. straw mulch and early and late mulching, a 

 4-in. mulch api)lied late in the summer, after several cultivations, has given the best 

 results. 



The best results with sweet potatoes were secured on mulched plats ridged and 

 irrigated, the increased yield being about 19 jier cent greater than on cultivated plats. 

 The vines, however, were injured to a greater extent by early fall frosts tlwin those 

 on cultivated plats. The vines did not take root through the straw mulch as they 

 do on cultivated ground, which is considered a decided advantage for mulching. 



The moisture content of the mulched and cultivated plats of cabbage, peas, beans, 

 cucumbers, watermelons, sweet corn, and beets was determined during the season of 

 1900 and found to average 18.2 per cent in the nmlched plats and 17.1 per cent in 

 the cultivated plats. 



Briefly summarized, the results of these experiments show that with lettuce, drilled 

 onions, and sweet corn, mulching is undesirable. With beets, salsify, carrots, pars- 

 nips, transi)lanted onions, peas, and melons, the labor requirements and yields are 

 about the same by either method. Very favoral)le results have been secured by 

 mulching cabbage, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. 



