62 



Effect of Mulching . 



Th« Geneva Station (7 Kept. 180) compared molEtur© a 

 in duplieat© plate not growing pi&nts d--- folio^/s : We^-ds 

 pulled, cultivated different e.epths^and mulched. The 

 results follow in 7av>l© XXV, 



Table XXV : Effect of Fui^xrir ^'f-^ds, Cultivation and 



MalGhing on Soil Moistur© ■.'vlio/'-) no Plcntr Crow. 



Un^ouched Cultivafjd Muleh 



"'-i'Sds pul^=dl/2" 2" 4" i in. short 



oat straw; 



'f' /^ ir> c/ or ?. 



Av^rar.- 7 ay 5-0 ct 3 lo.l9 17.10 17.^i-l 18.00 19.37 



Aug. 8 14.8 15.1 IG.l x6.L 19.0 



T/irt raulchad plats shov; an exceea of moieturs over the 

 cultivated pxata, which in turn show an excess ov-^r tha 

 untouch'^d pi^ts. Th<e diff^ia'tpnce is jaor© marked during 

 the dry v;sathc!r, 



FD'e"iineyt»r (Physical PropertitJS of Suiia.lll) found 

 th.'^i ti-iS evaporation from artificially saturated soil 

 within the for-st covered by I3tt6fp vras durj.n/r the six 

 si^KHit-.r months only 46 per cent a? ;nucn '^s wh«?-'e no litter 

 was empioy^ijd. It xa poi::sibls> tht't un'"''^i- cyftain cireum- 

 stanees? th*r' fr.ulch api)lie-1 about crops by tt'naip.g to prevent 

 the soil moisture reachin,'^ Buch '^ low etttus may maintain 

 a condition by which capillarity may be rcort- active. After 

 the moiBture reaches below a e<irtain lirait there may not only 



