30 



THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



Table I lie. 

 Moisture Percentage of Soils of Table 3. 



Date, 1917 



Depth of 



Snow Frost 



Bacterial Count in Millions 



12" 



16" 



Mar. 19 

 19 



April 2 



Feb. 5 



Mar. 26, 



April 23 



Jan. 28 



Mar. 29 



April 19 



Jan. 28 



Mar. 26 



April 25 



36" 

 0" 

 0" 



15" 

 0" 

 0" 



18" 

 0" 

 0" 



6" 

 0" 

 0" 



19" 



Solid 

 2"-14" 



5" 

 2" 

 0" 



5" 

 0" 

 0" 



14" 



203^" 



0" 



21-2 

 16-4 

 23-2 



Cultivated Black Muck Soil 



64-0 



41- 



75- 



69-5 

 43- 



81- 



67-6 

 30- 



83- 



Cultivated Soil Well Drained 



18- 



43-4 



21-2 



17- 



23-6 



22-3 



22-6 

 20-8 



Soil Planted to Timothy 



41 



27-2 



17-4 



40- 

 26- 

 16-2 



24. 

 17. 



11-2 

 12-1 

 18-6 



58-0 



25 



85-4 



31-2 

 20-6 



42 

 18. 



Experiment III, (1). Sod Experiment. 



The samples were taken under a lawn on which an outdoor rink 

 was situated. The lawn was covered with ice since 16th December 

 1916 and was kept clear of snow. The lawn was the one mentioned in 

 Experiment II, and the different results obtained in the two experi- 

 ments can only be ascribed to the influence of the frost on this plot. 

 Bacterial counts were low throughout the period of sampling. As soon 

 as the soil thawed the usual decrease was observed. No samples were 

 taken until the middle of March and the influence of the January- 

 increase had disappeared by this time, judging by the results obtained 

 in the other experiments. 



Experiment III (2). Cultivated Black Muck Soils, 



This field was plowed in the fall and the soil contained much 

 raw material as the tops and leaves of the mangel crop had been 

 plowed under. The water percentage in this field was very high. 

 The first samples examined on February 5th contained large numbers 

 of bacteria, although only the sample taken at a depth of 4" was 

 frozen. This high count must be ascribed to the bacterial decom- 

 position of the raw material left from the season's crop. From this 

 date the numbers of bacteria decreased in spite of a large increase in 



