■14 



Journal of Agriciilturt: . 



[lo Nov.. 1 9 TO. 



Table D.— K.uxfall. 1909-10. 



Romsey. 

 Points. 



.44 

 1.25 



1.07 



.16 



2.94 



in cunnexiou with the above it should be pointed out that the January 

 and March rain.s were each followed by very hot weather, accompanied 

 by drying winds ; also that a heavy fall of rain often does more harm than 

 good, especially when the precipitation is of only a few^ hours duration. 

 -Had the total February and March falls been divided into two equal 

 amounts, spread ever a week in each instance, more benefit would have 

 resulted. However, there is every reason to believe that had a system of 

 rotation embracing potatoes, cereals, legumes, and pasture been adopted 

 for the last 30 years on all these plots it would have made all the dif- 

 ference in afherse seasons between a profit, though perhaps a small one. 

 and an absolute loss. 



Bv a glance at the chemical analysis, gi\en. in Table B. of the three 

 soils under review, it will be noted that they are all of fairly high standard- 

 Romsey showing the lowest, especially in nitrogen, lime, and chlorine. 

 It must be borne in mind that the mechanical condition of a soil has an 

 important bearing on its fertility and that the above condition is promoted 

 bv agencies altogether apart from the amount of tillage the land receives. 

 It is a Avell-known fact that these soils, when iirought to a fine tilth, are 

 bv a heavy fall of rain converted into a brickdike mass. So compact is 

 this, when dry, that the air is excluded. Consequently, the action of 

 bacteria in the soil, which play such an important part in the formation 

 of nitrogen, is diminished or destroyed altogether. And probably the 

 exclusion of oxvgen fnjiii the soil ma\" favour the development of 

 organisms destructive of. or injurious to. plant life. 



Common salt or, better still, lime, has the effect of flocculating such a 

 soil and, in a measure, prexenting it caking, but the mo^i important factor 

 is the amount of organic matter which it contains. The soil most abun- 

 dantly supplied with this is the one that ab.sorbs. and retaias the greatest 

 amount of moisture. This fact is shown in a mo.st striking manner by 

 the mechanical analyses of the soils of the fields under review (Table O. 

 Those having the greatest loss on ignition have the highest percentage of 

 moisture. It has been demonstrated by experiment that the soils which 

 are abundantly supplied with phosphoric acid, potish. and all the mineral 

 constituents are not benefited to any extent by the application of these 

 forms of manure, whereas if they are liberally dressed with farmyard 

 manure, results are obtained far beyond what a similar amount of plant 

 food supplied bv artificials would give. A glance at Table C will show 

 that the insoluble silicates and sand of plots i and 2 are almost the same, 

 whilst plot 3 contains upwards of to per cent more. The difference is 

 accounted for liv the lower percentage of moisture and organic matter in 



