J. A. Prescott 221 



Land in preparation for cotton. 



There are two possibilities in the preparation of land for the cotton 

 crop; either the land remains fallow after the preceding crop of maize 

 or more usually a catch crop of bersim is grown, which enriches the soil 

 somewhat but does not always permit of the thorough soil cultivation 

 which the growing of cotton demands. 



The winter fallow. 



In the winter fallows of 1916-1917 and of 1917-1918 the progress 

 of nitrification in the land in preparation for cotton was followed up. 

 The preceding crop in each case was maize, which usually leaves little 

 nitrate in the soil. In the first winter, the maize crop was harvested 

 in November, 1916, and the land was first ploughed on December 4th. 

 Repeated cultivations were given during the winter in preparation for 

 the succeeding cotton crop. The rainfall may be taken at 40 to 50 mm. 

 The moisture content of the soil remained remarkably uniform at 18 to 

 20 %, conditions which afforded a good opportunity for nitrification. 

 Soil temperatures were about 16° C. Throughout the whole period there 

 was a steady accumulation of nitrates in the surface soil from 9 parts 

 to 23 parts per million of dry soil. After the final ridging for cotton on 



