128 



Journal of Agricultural Research 



Vol. X, No. 3 



I;i order to maintain the earth mulches according to the plan, the 

 plots were harrowed with a spike-tooth harrow as soon after a rain as 

 convenient and at such times as the land seemed to warrant harrowing. 

 The plots were kept as free from weeds as possible by hoeing whenever 

 weeds appeared. 



In order to find* the fluctuation in the moisture content, the plots 

 were sampled as frequently as the determinations could be made — 

 about every lo days. The samples were taken in foot sections with a 



6-foot King tube and 





^^^^^^^<.HMM^>6^^^^^ ^^ 



\\V\x\^V\^V^^^v V\\\\\V\\\\V\^^^^ 



y^i^(Atifif;>^m^^b^^ 



\\vvv\v\v^v\vv^^ \\\v\\\\\vv^^^^^ 





\\\v\\v\v\v\v\^ \v\\\\vv^v\\\v\^^^^ 



\\\\^\\\\\\V\\\V\\\^x\\\^\\V\\^ 



\-^-inch sfraiy muLch ^ 2-inch cuLtli'aiwn 

 S No muLch~ weeds pulled. 



immediately placed in 

 sample cans provided 

 with tight-fitting lids. 

 For every determina- 

 tion each plot was sam- 

 pled in duplicate, one 

 sample being taken a 

 fourth of the way from 

 the east side of the plot 

 and the other at a 

 corresponding distance 

 from the west side. 



The plots were sam- 

 pled between May 22 

 and 29, June 6 and 10, 

 June 16 and 19, June 



26 and 29, July 12 and 

 iSjuly i7andi9,July 



27 and 29, August 7 

 and 9, August 17 and 

 19, and August 28 and 

 30,1916. In all, 2,880 

 samples were taken. 



In figure 10, which 



Fig. 10. — Diagram showing the effect of mulches imder dry-farming glVCS tnC average per 

 conditions on the average distribution of soil moisture to a depth of centagC of moistUrC 



from the season's work, 

 the most striking point shown is that the effeat of mulches under dry- 

 farm conditions is not apparent below the third foot. The straw mulch 

 was much more efficient in preserving the moisture of the top feet than 

 the 2-inch cultivation; in fact, the latter is hardly better than no mulch. 



EFFECT OF CULTURAL METHODS 



Cultural Experiments at Nephi in 1916 



The data for this discussion were taken from the experiment on the 

 ejffect of mulches under dry-farming conditions. In figure 1 1 are pre- 



