WINNIPEG, 1909. 793 
to time throughout the growing season, and samples representative of the 
soil of the areas under experiment chemically examined :— 
Wheat used as seed (B) . ; : : . 9°93 per cent. protein 
D. Wheat grown as first crop after ‘breaking’ . 10°01 
E. Wheat grown on soil cultivated 10 years . 13°52 
” ” 
” ” 
Wheats (B) and (D) would be termed piebald or soft, and are very 
similar in appearance. Wheat (E) shows no starchy grains, the kernels 
being hard and translucent, typical of the highest grades. The difference 
in protein content between (B) and (D) is insignificant, but between these 
wheats and (E) it is very great—3‘5 per cent. 
? Naot moisture content of the soils of the two areas was found to be as 
ollows :— 
July _ Aug. 2 | Aug. 24 
— _ —_ ——__— | 
‘per cent. per cent. per cent. per cent, per cent. per cent. per cent. 
Newly cleared land. | 32°96 | 36-49 | 3345 | 30:49 | 35:23 | 30°37 | 32°84 
| Cultivated land . é | 22:45 | 23°39 | 23°39 21:70 | 21:24 13-24 | 18-28 | 
| a | May 5 / May 15 | May 29 June 22 
at ie = : ia | 
These data are highly significant. The newly cleared soil which 
produced the softer wheat was throughout the growing season more moist ; 
its percentages of water ranged from 9 to 14 higher than those of the soil 
giving the harder grain. And it is to be noted that there was no drying 
out in the newly cleared soil as the season advanced. 
The soils on analysis were found to have the following compositions : — 
es Newly clea ciate 
Bo Cultivation. 
Per cent. Per cent. 
| Moisture - ; 3 ; . : 2°98 2°06 
| Organic and volatile matter . : : aE] 20:90 12°84 
Insoluble residue (sand, clay, &c.) : aay 51°74 65:07 
Oxide of iron and alumina . : : ’ 5:50 10°52 
Lime . a : : : ‘ : a 10°25 3:47 
Magnesia. : . ‘ : : zy 2°44 | 1:63 
Potash . - : ; : ; ail 0714 0-19 
Phosphoric acid . : 4 ’ p ait 0-15 0:13 
Soluble silica : - 2 : : : 0:02 0:02 
Carbonic acid, &e. (undetermined) .— . | 5°88 | 4:07 
100-00 100-00 
Nitrogen in organic matter . . ; . 0642 0371 
Available constituents : | 
Phosphoric acid : 3 : : os 0:0067 0:0067 
Potash - 5 - : - F a8 0:0166 0:0069 
| 
jn SOR Tog: One Dhar ign er aity 1:306 0-93 
The characteristic feature of these soils is their richness in vegetable 
matter and nitrogen; it will be noticed that the percentages of these 
constituents are very considerably higher in the newly cleared soil. This 
larger proportion of humus is probably the true explanation of the higher 
moisture content of the newly cleared soil, since humus enhances the 
absorptive and retentive capacity of a soil. 
In potash and phosphoric acid these soils present no striking differences, 
though the newer soil is much the richer in lime. The data, apart from 
