Edible Prodticts. 



310 



[April, 1910. 



rows at a time may be made something 

 like a large rake by fixing four suitable 

 blades at the proper distances on a beau 

 or head which is fitted with a handle 

 and can be pulled steadily along the 

 rows. This presses up the earth round 

 the plants, and also serves to eradicate 

 weeds. A week or ten days afterwards, 

 if the plants can be seen to have grown, 

 the process can be repeated. A final 

 earthing-up is recommended some 

 months later in the case of winter crops. 



A number of experiments have been 

 conducted in Russia, and the results 

 obtained in two cases are given in 

 M. Demtschinsky's pamphlet. 



One experiment with oats was carried 

 out in the province of Kursk on a plot 

 163 square yards in extent. The sowing 

 was done by a hand-drill on the 5th 

 April, the first earthing-up on the 7th 

 and 8th of May, and the second about 

 June 10th. 



The plants were covered to a depth of 

 If inches at each operation, and on 20th 

 July the ground was hoed for weeds. 

 In the middle of May the oats were 

 about 12 inches high, flowers appeared 

 at the beginning of June, and as early 

 as the end of the month the ears began 

 to appear. The crop was reaped by the 

 end of July ; a yield of 190 5 lb. was 

 obtained from 163 square yards. 



This, as M. Demtschinsky points out, 

 is equivalent to 145 bushels per acre 

 (39 lb. to the bushel), but no accurate 

 conclusions can be drawn from so small 

 an area. 



An experiment on a large scale in the 

 province of Kursk is also mentioned. 

 Here barley was grown and a crop of 45 

 bushels per acre (50 lb. to the bushel) was 

 obtained by earthing-up, as against 335 

 bushels by ordinary cultivation. The 

 expenditure is stated to have been 

 practically the same in both cases. 



The second method which is advocated 

 is that of transplanting and deep-setting, 

 The seed can be sown either broadcast 

 or in rows at a distance of If inches 

 apart in the row. The latter method is 

 the better, as the plants are more even 

 in size. 



The transplanting is done in the same 

 way as with young cabbages. It is 

 recommended that the earth should be 

 shaken from the roots, and the plants 

 placed upright in a shallow box, the 

 bottom of which is covered with basic 

 slag. When the box is full it can be 

 taken to the field and the planting done 



in rows, allowiug 7 inches between the 

 rows and 7 inches between each plant. 

 The plants should be put in deeply, 

 about three-quarters of an inch lower 

 than before, so as to cover the base of 

 the leaves. If the weather be dry the 

 plants may be watered with weak liquid 

 manure. 



Another method of deep-setting with- 

 out transplanting may be adopted if 

 the seed is sown in rows at even dis- 

 tances apart. The work is done with 

 two dibbles, one of which is hollowed at 

 the end like a scoop. When the plants 

 are of suitable size, the dibble with the 

 scoop-like end is inserted under the roots 

 of the plants so as to riise it slightly, 

 Avhile at the same time an ordinary 

 dibble is inserted on the other side of 

 the plant to the required depth. The 

 result is that the plant sinks lower in 

 the soil and the loose earth can be heap- 

 ed up round it. 



A number of trials have been made in 

 Germany for the purpose of testing the 

 method. One of the most exhaustive, 

 which was carried out at the Agricul- 

 tural Institute at Bromberg, is reported 

 in the Mitteilungen der Deutschen Land- 

 Gesellschaft (9th October, 1909). Dupli- 

 cate plots were arranged with both rye 

 and barley. The rye plots were ar- 

 ranged as follows :—(a) drilled in rows 

 6 inches apart in the ordinary way ; (6) 

 planted in rows 10 cm. (nearly 4 inches) 

 between the rows and 20 em. (nearly 8 

 inches) between the plants; (c) drilled in 

 sets of three rows 10 cm. apart with a 

 distance of 30 cm, (nearly 12 inches) 

 between each three rows ; {d) drilled as 

 in the case of (c), but the plants after- 

 wards thinned to 8 inches apart as in (6). 



In the case of the rye, the sowing of 



(a) , (c) and (d) took place on 22nd Septem- 

 ber*, and for (b) on the 3rd September, the 

 plants being transplanted on the 24th. 

 The latter suffered from drought and 

 did not recover till the beginning of 

 October. On the 14th October the (d) 

 plots were thinned, and on the 17th both 

 (c) and (d) were earthed-up. The 

 winter was severe and only about 

 forty per cent, of the transplanted seed 



(b) survived, whereas (c) and (d) suffered 

 but little. The development of the 

 roots and shoots on (b) was, however, 

 much better than any of the other plots, 

 aud when the crop was reaped the num- 

 ber of stalks per plant on (b) averaged 

 10, as against 4 on (a), 7 on (c), and 8 on 

 (d.) The number of full years per plant 

 and the number of grains in the ear were 

 also greater than on the other plots. 



