io59 



Notes on Agriculture Abroad. [march, 



A method in use in the United States (named after its inventor, 

 Professor Campbell) is being largely adopted in such districts. It con- 

 sists in deep (say 10 in. or more) ploughing, in pressing down the lower 

 surface of the furrow by means of a special type of wheeled roller or 

 "subsoil packer" to increase the capillary action from the damp earth 

 towards the roots of the grain. Both immediately after ploughing, and 

 as long as possible after sowing, the surface is kept in a pulverised 

 state by means of harrows and cultivators, so as to stop the capillary 

 action near the surface and thus to retard evaporation. The grain is 

 sown in rows, about 7 in. apart, so as to facilitate the cultivation of 

 the soil between the rows during the early part of the summer. Some- 

 times the rows are sown in narrow, 4-in. pairs, with 14 in. space 

 between the pairs, for cultivation. Much less seed grain is thus used, 

 and the grain is stronger and more abundant than with the usual 

 method of sowing, and well repays the extra labour. Special machines 

 for this system of cultivation are finding an increasing sale. 



A simplified method more easily carried out by the poorer peasants, 

 if the five years' rotation of crops is adopted, is the ploughing down 

 of the stubble immediately after the harvest, or in early spring, and of 

 keeping the fallow "black," viz., with pulverised surface and free of 

 weeds. Stubble gives the necessary grazing land, but favours the 

 growth of weeds and withdraws moisture and strength from the soil. 

 For keeping a "black" fallow the peasants must, therefore, provide 

 special land for sowing green fodder, which is possible in the five 

 years' rotation of crops. 



Another method, that has, however, not generally given satisfactory 

 results, has been developed by Mr. Demtschinsky. He adopts the 

 Chinese practice of transplanting the young grain and setting it deeper 

 into the soil in order to get two or three successive rows of roots to 

 develop out of the knots in the stem. In test cultures the results are 

 stupendous, each seed producing a bush-like bunch of stems and wide- 

 spread strong roots; but in practice, where instead of setting the 

 plants deepeV the earth is heaped on to the young stems, it is generally 

 found that the work is ill spent. Special sowing machines are manufac- 

 tured for this method of planting, but they have rarely been used, and only 

 for experimental purposes. (F.O. Repts., Annual Series, No. 4781.) 



Improvement of Agriculture in Russia. — Reports by H.M. Vice- 

 Consuls at Nicolaiev and Kharkoff (F.O. Reports, Annual Series, 

 No. 4781) call attention to the improvement of agriculture in Russia, 

 which is resulting from the policy of the Russian Government in 

 regard to land. 



As a consequence of the new land policy, commenced in 1906, large 

 areas of land have passed, and will continue to pass, into the hands of 

 peasant proprietors. To this end financial aid on easy terms is given 

 by the Peasant Land Bank. A further step in this policy is the altera- 

 tion from the old system of tenure amongst the peasants, namely, 

 that of tenure in common with a triennial redistribution of the com- 

 munal land. A peasant can now hold his land in perpetuity, to the 

 encouragement of better cultivation. Under the former system of 

 common tenure the insecurity of tenure discouraged the peasants from 

 any attempt at intensive cultivation. Another evil incident to the old 

 system was the waste of time caused by all the peasants of a commune 



