26 



CIRCULAK XO. 121, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 



IRRIGATION TESTS AVITII FLAX. 



At the request of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 a series of 10 one-tenth-acre plats was devoted to an irrigation test 

 with flax (fig. 4). The purpose was to determine the amount of water 

 best suited to this crop and the proper time of applying water. The 

 plan of tliis experiment was to give one, two, and three irrigations 

 at different stages of plant growth on the different plats — in one case 

 to give but one irrigation, and that before planting. The unusual 

 weather conditions, especially the heavy rain in early July, tended 

 to bring on all plats uniformly, so that the results obtained would 

 not apply to the average season. It was possible, however, to test 

 the effect of late irrigation. Plats irrigated after the flax was well 

 through the bloom did not show any tendency to start a second 

 growth and were not held back in ripening, all plats being ready for 

 harvest on about the same date. It mav be, however, that this would 



Fir,. 4.— Plats of Hax in field All, used in ihe experiment with time of irrigation. The average yield of 

 the 10 plats in this e.xperiment in 1912 was 18.6 bushels per acre. 



not appl} to a large field, especially one that was not perfectly 

 drained and where the water was permitted to stand for any length 

 of time. The average yield of aU the plats was at the rate of 18.6 

 bushels per acre, and variations from this were so sUght that they 

 could not pro})erly be attributed to differences in treatment. 



FIELD CORN. 



A test to determine the earliest and best-yielding varieties of corn 

 suitable for use on the project ami in the rotation experiments was car- 

 ried on during 1912 in cooperation with the Office of Corn Investiga- 

 tions. The varieties yielded as follows: Northwestern Dent, 58.3 

 bushels; Brown County YeUow, 51.5; Wisconsin No. 7, 61.8; ^linne- 

 sota No. 13, 59; Minnesota No. 23, 51.7; and Selection No. 133, 62.9 

 bushels per acre. The average yield of all the varieties was 57.5 

 bushels per acre. The fh'st three varieties matured better than the 

 others. On account of their earfiness they are more promising for 

 the Huntley Project. The Northwestern Dent and the Brown County 

 Yellow were tlie best varieties tested in 1912. 



[Cir. 1-lJ 



