REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 71 



season's work shows more plainly how very responsive this crop is 

 to judicious treatment and how very little we have systematically 

 studied its requirements. When the conclusive demonstrations con- 

 ducted during the year in a few localities are conducted in many 

 localities, a sufficient percentage of corn growers will profit by the 

 demonstrations to cause a general improvement in the acre yield of 

 corn. 



CEREAL IMPROVEMENT. 



Adaptation and breeding work with all the cereals has been con- 

 tinued during the year with special emphasis on the production of 

 hardier and more drought-resistant varieties and strains. The supe- 

 riority of many of the drought-resistant cereals was markedly shown 

 in localities where drought was severe. The Turkey and Kharkof 

 varieties of winter wheats did especially well, while Swedish Select 

 oats and Ghirka spring wheat showed much superiority over less re- 

 sistant varieties. The total production of the Kharkof wheat in the 

 United States must be at least 40,000,000 bushels. Duruni wheat con- 

 tinued to be the leading grain crop in the dry wheat-producing sec- 

 tions of the West and Northwest, where winter varieties are not yet 

 dependable. The use of durum wheat flour is steadily increasing, 

 and this product can now be purchased in a number of eastern cities. 

 The season's work has furnished some good results with proso mil- 

 lets, particularly under irrigation, but also under dry-land condi- 

 tions, Emmer, because of its better adaptation, still gives evidence of 

 being a valuable crop in localities a little too dry for other stock food, 

 such as oats and barley. 



For the work in dry-land gi'ain investigations two new experi- 

 ment farms have been added, one at Burns, Oreg., and one at Aber- 

 deen^ Idaho. These farms will be managed in cooperation with the 

 experiment stations of these States. During the year, for the first 

 time, experiments with grains under irrigation have been under- 

 taken. These experiments are conducted at points where it is possible 

 to compare the results obtained with similar varieties under dry- 

 farming conditions. 



The grain sorghums are proving increasingly important as stock 

 foods for dry-land areas. The dwarf and early varieties, such as 

 Dwarf milo. Dwarf Blackhull kafir, Sudan durra, and the kowliangs 

 which have been bred and distributed by this department are giving 

 surer yields under conditions of greater drought than were formerly 

 possible. They also permit the extension of these grains into more 

 northern States, as South Dakota, Idaho, and Oregon. 



In rice investigations in the South special attention has been given 

 to solving the problem of controlling red rice by proper rotations 

 and cultivation. In California experiments with rice were conducted 

 at nine different points, and the results already obtained indicate 



