2, CIRCULAR 77, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
crop for which it was used. In many instances papers of a dura- 
bility of several years, and proportionately expensive, were applied 
to crops maturing in a few months. No particular attention had 
been given to the development of methods for the adaptation of 
mulching paper to the growing of any one crop. ‘The rather pro- 
nounced increases in growth reported from the use of paper had led 
enthusiasts to plan the covering of large areas; but without experi- 
mental evidence that the method was adapted to the local conditions 
_and that the type cf paper was satisfactory such a procedure would 
undoubtedly have resulted in many disappointments. On this ac- 
count it has been the policy of the department to suggest that all 
‘initial trials be conducted on a small scale. 
With the establishment of the fact of crop response for a variety 
of crops, soils, and seasons, the further study of paper mulch be- 
comes of interest. Hrom a technical viewpoint this study is associ- 
ated on the one hand with types of papers and their suitability for 
different crops and on the other hand with the biophysical factors 
involved in crop production under the paper-mulch system. This 
technical study is being carried out by means of experiments at 
the Arlington Experiment Farm (Rosslyn, Va.) and elsewhere, 
but these experiments must be repeated throughout several seasons 
under varying conditions of soil, season, and climate before definite 
conclusions can be reached. : | 
From an immediately practical standpoit the further study of 
paper mulch involves additional and extended field trials in the 
producing regions. The paper-mulch method is a new one in con- 
tinental United States, and its economic utilization here is still in 
the experimental stage. Because the method is a new one there 
has been no thorough testing of available mulching papers and 
no studied development of methods for their adaptation to our 
crops. Those who have been fortunate in the selection of their 
papers and ingenious in applying them appear to have attained an 
appreciable and encouraging measure of success. Others who did 
not apply the paper until the season was well advanced, or who 
found that their paper had blown away or had disintegrated or 
had been interfered with in some other way, obtained results that 
were not indicative of the effectiveness of the paper. Whether the 
“best paper” for any crop and the “best method” of using it will 
make the method economic for use with a certain crep in a certain 
region is not a matter that can be determined without practical experi- 
ment and repeated trials in that particular region. The economy 
of the practice is particularly related to labor costs, to the type of 
crop, and to specific market conditions, and is therefore essentially 
a matter for the interested grower to determine for himself, with 
the experience of others to guide him. The solution of the problem 
requires initiative, resourcefulness, and hard work, but its solution 
‘appears to offer satisfactory rewards. | 
The wide interest in paper mulch indicates that the method will 
be given a thorough trial in this country. The experienced grower 
will recognize that the determination of the potential value of a 
system of culture so radical as the paper-mulching system, for any 
specific agricultural purpose, is pioneering work. Utilizing the 
system to economic advantage in continental United States will un- 
