WHEAT i I LTURE. 



discounted. Surface cultivation to prevent evaporation bag the clos< 31 

 possible association with the earlier working— the prevention of crusty and 

 weedy surfaces is absolutely essential it' fallowing is to be truly 

 thoroughly effective. 



Ir is well enough known that, while the top L2 or 18 i n< -1 1» '- of 



the soil are the most important to plant life, beneath that is stored water 

 which is conducted by capillary attraction to the surface, where it is losl by 



A Modern Mouldboard Plough. 



evaporation. This capillary movement of the soil moisture if permitted to 



continue, will carry off the moisture as long as there is any below, and the 

 only way to prevent that taking place is to disturb the surface and interrupt 

 tin- action, thus locking the moisture in. 



Neglected Surfaces and Their Losses. 



A few figures will prove that this is the case. The late Professor King, of 

 Wisconsin (U.S.A.), said that he reduced the mean daily loss from '071 of 

 an inch to 034 of an inch, by freshening the mulch, taking off 1 inch 

 and placing it back loosely and lightly — a saving of 50 per cent, of the 

 average daily evaporation. 



In California, Hilgard and Loughridge made instructive comparisons. 

 They found that while in uncultivated land there was 4 - 3 per cent, of 

 moisture in the first foot of soil, in cultivated land there was G"4 per cent., 

 and continuing their experiments at every foot to 6 feet below the surface, 

 they showed that the advantage was the same almost the whole way down. 

 In other words, while the uncultivated land had equal to SG tons of moisture 

 per acre at the first foot, 88 tons at the second, 100 tons at the fourth, and 90 

 tons at the sixth, in the cultivated area there was equal to 128 tons at the 

 first foot, 116 tons at the second, 130 tons at the fourth, and 120 tons at the 

 sixth — an advantage, where cultivation was carried out, of 30 to 40 per 

 cent, more moisture the whole way down to 6 feet. 



