The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-29
The Action of a Mulch.

It is said that the term mulch comes from a
Hebrew word meaning partly rotten straw. Be
this as it may, we use the word now to cover all
those substances employed as a litter around
trees and upon ground, to aid the soil in retain
ing its native moisture. The word mulch might
be defined as anything used to prevent the
natural evaporation of moisture from a soil.
The substances generally used as a mulch are
straw, litter from the stables. leaves, recently, cut
lawn grass, SawduSs. tan-bark, chips, and small
stones. Other materials are sometimes used, as
coal ashes. large fiat stones. etc. The p~ra;ries
and forests furnish their own mulch, in the form
OF leaves and decaying stems, which soon aeon
mulate in IL mass that very effectuslly prevents
the surface soil from losing much of its mois-
ture. The leaf mould in the forest and the thick
layer of vegetable matter on the surface soil of
The prairie arc the protecting coverings furnished
by nature. Man, in his planting of trees needs
to initiate the native forest mulch. In this way
he not only secures a more uniform temperature
and moisture to the surface.soil, but may add a
source of plant food. Some substances used as
a mulch can yield only a mechanical benefit.
while others contain an abundant supply OF plant
food when it is reduced to a soluble and available
form. Flat stones around trees may add greatly
to their prosperity, while giving only shade, and
preventing the evaporation OF moisture, Saw
dust is b~utlittle better in this respect, MS il con-
talns only a small per cent. of plant food. Straw
is better, and new mown lawn grass IS positively
rich In the most important elements Of plant
food.
The influence of shade upon a soil may be seen
by placing boards upon any portion Of land. 1t
is not to be supposed that any measurable guam
tity Of nourishn.ent can be worked DOWN from a
new board; but the sol! beneath is changed by
being thus covered, and enriched for a timo.
Perhaps the protection has induced certain chem
ical changes which have liberated plant food. On
this same principle, stones il 4 soil enrich It.
The Importance Of covering the soil is more fully
appreciated in France, where tiles have loag
been employed on strawberry beds. The tiles
have holes through them for the hills, all other
parts I. the earth's surface being covered.
Flower gardens have been successfully made, in
which all the earth was covered with cement as
hard and smooth as a walk, except the small
holes through which the stems of the shrubs
grew.
Parchment paper-that is, a tough waterproof
paper, made by dipping unsized paper in sal
phuric acids now employed for covering gar
den soil. In short, this prepared paper is a
mulch. A Frenchman who has experimental
with this method sums mp the advantages as fol-
lows: First, a greater rapidity Of growth; sec
ond, lessening OF the great cost of water; third,
saving of hard work in wedding, and, fourth, the
crop is doubled.
This is certainly saying q great deal more for
a mulch than Americans could do. These eX-
periments prove that there is a field here for
the further Development of the advantages of
mulches Of ali kinds.