
& Mulched. . Unmulched. — 
a: Merch. Total. Merch. Total. 
a Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. 
_ For the single eye plats, corrected.............. 470.2 500.2 490.6 511.7 
' For the single eye plats, actual. ............... 445.5 472.7 464.4 484.4 
| For the quarter potato plats, corrected.......... 814.2 859.8 690.2 746.9 
_ For the quarter potato plats, actual............. 807.9 853.2 686.6 743.0 
_ It may be well to add in explanation that in order to make our 
trials as little favorable as possible to the mulching, the straw was 
- applied to the intervals, as soon as the potatoes were sufliciently 
' grown to distinguish the-rows, or when all of the hills were supposed 
to have vegetated. [From this time out the plats were uninterfered 
with, and not only many weeds grew upon the ridges, but there was 
in many places an abundance of weeds growing out of the straw, 
these latter coming from the wheat and oat grains which had escaped 
the thresher. The unmulched plats were hoed and cultivated suffi- 
ciently often to keep in good condition and free from weeds. 
It is desirable that this hypothesis regarding the potato be further 
_ experimented upon, for, if further trial shall satisfy of the correct- 
ness of the idea, we have a reason offered for explaining the bene- 
fits derived from stirring the soil about the crop during growth, the 
_ pulverized soil acting as a mulch, and answering the same purpose 
as the straw so far as concerns the lower layers of the soil which are 
occupied by the feeding roots. 
In E 20 we have a plat planted with quarter potatoes, and de- 
signed as duplicate with D and E 15 and 16 plats, with the excep- 
tion that the seed was laid upon the ground and the whole plat 
covered six inches, more or less, with straw. The yield of E 20, in 
- comparison with D and E. 15 and 16, is given below: 
Merch. ‘Total. 
ee: Lbs. Lbs. 
mee 20. Mulehed with straw... 6... fee cee 3872.8 4388.0 
fee -io, b.10. Intervals mulched....5. 000. 05. 6c ee 807.9 853.2 
Memeo) 162 Unmulched is i. 0.6 2 ou we 6 cacaie.o nrele 686.6 743.0 
These figures, as far as they go, tend to conform to the hypothesis 
as is readily seen by inspection. It is hence safe to recommend what 
- experiment shows and what experience confirms, that the farmer 
should cultivate his crop, either with hoe or horse implement, shallow 
but frequently during the season, as thus not only are weeds removed, 
' which in themselves are detrimental to crop, but the conditions 
_ which seem to be required for a full crop are more nearly secured. 
' For be it remembered that our Lysimeter results, given elsewhere, 
_ show that a pulverized upper surface retards evaporation and main- 
tains a greater moisture in the soil underneath than occurs when 
the surface is allowed to remain hard and firm. 
-IyFLvueNce or SHADE ON THE Potato PLANT. 
In order to study the effect of shade upon the potato plant we 
__ have two plats, C 17 and.C 18, planted in alternate rows with Wausha- 

“Weems 
