70 



September 25 and '26. — Collected .samples of surface foot of muck, tir.st bottom and 

 second botom !?oil, for determination of weight per cubic foot of soil under field con- 

 ditions, using large tube, as illustrated in tig. 21. 



October 2 (md 3. — Discussion of results as obtained in the above experiments with 

 special reference to the methods of expressing amounts of water in the soil; that is, 

 per cent fresh weight, per cent dry weight, amount of water per cubic foot, and sur- 

 face inches water. 



October 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, and 31. — ^Mechanical analysis of two samples of soil — 

 a sand and a clay — by the Osborne beaker method, as modified and used by the 

 Bureau of Soils and described in Bulletin No. 4 of the Bureau, pages 8-13. 



XoreridH'-r 6, 7, 13, and i^.— Separation of "silt," "fine silt," and "clay" by the 

 centrifugal method as used in the Bureau of Soils. 



Fig. 21.— Apparatus lV)r taking soil samples. 



November 20, 21, 27, 2S, and December .',, 5, 11, and i,-*.— Determination of moisture, 

 soluble salts, and temperature of soils by the electrical method, as descril)ed and 

 used by the Bureau of Soils. 



Exnimr Xo. 9. 



EXAMINATION IN ELEMENTARY COURSE IN FARM CROPS. 



The following list of examination questions will servo to indicate the scope of the 

 work covered in the course: 



1. Name and explain the reasons for crop rotation. 



2. Explain three methods of crop improvement. 



3. Give the following statistics on corn and oats for the United States during the 

 last decade: [a) Average annual acreage; {b) average annual yield; {r) average 

 annual yield per acre; {d) average value per acre. 



4. Name the eight leading States in the production of each of the following crops: 

 Corn, oats, and barley. 



5. Describe structure and give chemical composition of a grain of wheat. 



6. Name the types of Indian corn and give the distinguishing characteristics of 

 each. 



7. Give the chemical composition of corn. 



8. Give general directions as to depth of planting, time of iilanting, and thickness 

 of planting corn. 



9. State the reasons for shallow cultivation of corn. 



10. Discuss the following: Time of sowing, depth of sowing, and amount of wheat 

 to sow per acre. 



11. What points should be considered in distinguishing between varieties of wheat? 



12. Discuss briefly the cost and methods of shipping grain from the farms of the 

 Northwest to the Atlantic seaboard. 



13. State the conditions of climate, soil, and seed bed best adapted for oats. 



