1 74 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. V, No. a 
Plot A received clean cultivation with a rye cover crop sown in late 
summer and turned under in the spring. The average depth of plowing 
has been 7 inches. Cultivation started in 1913 on May 1 and in 1914 on 
May 11. Rye at the rate of I'/i bushels per acre was sown for a cover 
crop on August 20 in 1913 and on August 15 in 1914. The land was 
cultivated seven times each season. 
Plot C was in grass, which was cut and allowed to lie where it fell, as 
in plot D, but in addition a mulch of wheat straw was applied about the 
same time that plot A was plowed, using one bale to a tree. The bales 
averaged 93 pounds in weight. The litter was scattered around the 
trees, forming a collar 12 to 14 feet in diameter. 
Plot D was in grass, which was cut and allowed to lie where it fell. 
In the autumn of 1912 plot D was seeded to a mixture of grasses in which 
timothy largely predominated and may here be considered as a timothy 
meadow. The grass was mowed for the first time in the middle of June, 
1913, largely to prevent weeds from seeding, as the amount of mulch 
was negligible. The extremely dry summer of 1914 was disastrous to 
grass, and a cutting on July 10 returned to the land only one-fifth of a 
ton of dry hay per acre. 
Space does not permit the publication of the complete temperature 
records, but the weekly maximums and minimums are given in Table II. 
It will be seen that in April plot A began to forge ahead in holding the 
highest minimum temperature, with plot D second and C third. This 
condition prevailed until in the fall, when plot A cooled off quickly and 
D less quickly, leaving C with the highest minimum temperature until 
spring. The differences, however, in winter temperatures between the 
plots were small. During the week of February 23, 1913* plot A showed 
a minimum temperature of 32 0 F. and plots C and D, 32.5 0 F. Plot A 
continued to cool, until during the week of March 16 it reached 32°, 
when plot D registered its lowest, 31 0 , and plot C was 33 0 F. The 
following winter the three plots reached their minimum temperatures 
during the week of January 11, that of plot A being 31 0 ; D, 32.5 0 ; and C, 
34 ° F. 
Table II .—Records of soil temperatures under different cultural methods , May, IQ13, 
to May, IQ15 
PLOT a: tillage with cover crop 
Week 
ending— 
Mini¬ 
mum. 
Maxi¬ 
mum. 
Week 
ending— 
Mini¬ 
mum. 
Maxi¬ 
mum. 
Week 
ending— 
Mini¬ 
mum. 
Maxi¬ 
mum. 
# F. 
# F. 
°F. 
°F. 
°F. 
°F. 
May 5 
45-0 
58*5 
June 16 
58.5 
68. 0 
July 28 
67. O 
76. O 
12 
53 * 0 
60. O 
23 
67. 0 
74.0 
Aug. 4 
72. O 
80. O 
19 
S 3 *o 
63. 0 
, 3 ° 
$ 7 * 5 
78. 0 
II 
70. O 
77*5 
26 
54 *o 
63.O 
July 7 
73 *o 
80. 5 
l8 
71. O 
78. 0 
June 2 
54*5 
66. 5 
14 
69. 0 
77*5 
2$ 
66. 0 
77.0 
9 
60. 0 
69. 0 
21 
69. 0 
77*5 
Sept. 1 
66. 0 
73 *o 
