WINTER GREENS AND SOIL MOISTURE 69 



roughened by harrowing. This forms what is known 

 as a soil mulch, which acts like a blanket and prevents 

 undue evaporation of water. 



A very effective soil mulch can also be made by 

 carting on the surface of the land well-broken farm- 

 yard manure and spreading it about by harrowing 

 instead of ploughing it in. The manure carting can 

 be done as circumstances favour, either before the seed 

 is sown, or after, or even when the seed has got into 

 the rough leaf. In the latter case, however, harrow- 

 ing is not possible, as the young plants will be torn 

 out, and the manure must therefore be spread by 

 hand. 



Even when every precaution has been taken to 

 conserve the soil moisture it will happen that at the 

 time these winter-green crops are being sown during 

 the months of June and July, the land may be very 

 dry. There is little use in sowing winter-green crops 

 under such conditions — a fact well known to most 

 farmers. 



What is generally done is to prepare the soil and, 

 immediately there is any sign of rain, to commence to 

 sow the seed. This, however, is a mistake, unless there 

 is considerable rainfall. What should be done is, im- 

 mediately it commences to rain, get on the already 

 prepared land with the harrows and keep the surface 

 soil stirred whilst the rain is falling, so as to work the 

 moisture in. Of course, this can be overdone ; but 

 it will be understood that as soon as ever the land 

 shows any signs of pastiness, the harrowing should 

 cease, and the sowing be proceeded with. 



As to the actual cultivation of the land, this can 

 usually be done by the disc harrow and the triplex 

 cultivator, without ploughing at all. Deep cultivation, 

 say, more than 5 inches, for these crops is not essential. 



