425 



NOTES, COMMUNICATIONS, AND REVIEWS. 



" Working the Stubble." — In the Bulletin de la Societe des 

 Agriculteiirs de France of August 15, M. H. Hitier, in a note 

 on the cultivation of land after the harvest, reminds us that 

 the work of the farmer goes on all the year round. This last 

 year, in France, he had noticed very great differences in the 

 fields at the beginning of June, owing to the fact that in some 

 of them suitable measures had been taken to preserve the 

 moisture in the soil, whereas in others this had been neglected. 



He says that in their country, among the best means of 

 effecting this object, the foremost are working the stubble at 

 once after the harvest, and also doing certain other work before 

 winter sets in. The advantages of the first-mentioned in de- 

 stroying pests have long been recognised, but other and greater 

 ])enefits also result from it. It should be done at once after the 

 harvest so as to economise the rain-water which falls before 

 winter, and which otherwise is largely lost by evaporation 

 from weeds. The dew that falls is similarly affected. 



Some interesting and conclusive experiments on this point 

 have been made for some years past by M. de Kerpely at the 

 Royal Academy of Debreczen, in Hungary. After maize had 

 been harvested for fodder, half of the field was at once turned 

 over with a disc harrow or cultivator, while the other half was 

 left alone. Tests were then made by taking out samples of soil 

 at every few inches down to a depth of 40 in. 



On August 9, the half which had been worked with a disc 

 harrow had, down to 24 in., an excess of moisture of 14,300 

 gallons per acre over the unworked half of the field. On 

 September 3 this excess amounted to 15,400 ; on the 7th to 

 34,100; and on the 30th to 37,400 gallons. On October 5 

 the whole field was sown with wheat, and the difference of 

 moisture in the two halves of it, down to a deptli of 32 in., 

 was found to be as follows: — On October 21, 11,000; Decem- 

 ber^ 2, 14,300 ; December 13, 211,400 ; and on January 3, 

 31,600 gallons per acre. On March 16, after six weeks of dry 

 weather and high wind, the ditlerence, down to a dei)th of 

 40 in., was about 14,300 gallons per acre. These dift'erences 

 work out at about 3 per cent. each. 



