28 



CULTIVATED UNCULTIVATED. 



Per cent. Tons per acre. Per cent. Tons per acre. 

 Water in 6 feet 

 of soil .. 6'3 756 4-2 512 



This shows a difference of 244 tons per acre of water after 

 drought as a result of cultivation, and the amount of water is still 

 further increased by deeper cultivation. In English and western 

 climates generally it is considered that 3 inches of pulverised soil is 

 enough to give protection against drought. Here I fancy this will 

 be found altogether inadequate, where there is a drought lasting 

 always, in the districts of which 1 speak, four months, and often six 

 months or over. It is a fact, however, that the deeper the layer of krose 

 soil the greater protection it affords from evaporation. Owing to 

 the non-existence of such records for India, I again give some 

 figures obtained in California. The figures give the moisture in a 

 four foot depth of the land. 



No cultivation. 3 inches cultivation. 6 inches cultivafton. 



Per cent. Tons per acre. Per cent. Tons per acre. Per cent. Tons per acre. 



Alluvial Soil ... 4-4 354 5-4 430 6-3 504 



Alluvial Soil ... 5-3 422 8-5 662 



Such figures as these afford the very best argument to show that 

 the autumn deep hoe should by no means be neglected or scamped ; 

 that the finer and looser the surface can be made the better for the 

 preservation of the water* and the deeper it can be carried out the 

 more effective the protection will be ; and further, that the least possible 

 amount of trampling on the soil should take place afterwards, in 

 order that the loose layer produced by the hoe may be kept as 

 loose and pulverulent as possible. 



MULCHING. 



In the districts where even this treatment is not very effective, 

 I see no reason why recourse should not be had to the system of 

 " mulching " the surface with jungle plants. This simply consists in 

 covering the soil with a thin layer of green jungle or of jungle of 

 any kind, and is exceedingly effective in keeping in the water, as the 

 following figures show, from results obtained in New York State. 

 After the year's drought there remained in the soil as follows : 



, Water per 100 of dry Soil per cent. 



Untouched. Surface kept stirred to Oat straw 



| an inch. 2 inches. 4 inches. 1 inch thick 



IQ'O I9'2 203 



It is thus seen that a one inch " mulch " of oat straw was more 



