65G 



Fife; (2) a lieavy wlieat; (3) a plnmp wheat, with the shape of the herry as near a 

 sphere as possible ; (4) a clean wheat, that is, one free from weed seeds, shrunken 

 and inmiatnre grains. * * » 



But the selection should take place in part hefore harvesting. If of pure variety 

 that wheat which ripens earliest, with the brightest, strongest straw and largest 

 heads will generally prove to have all the requiremei>4s of good seed. By this con- 

 tinued intelligent selection, accompanied by careful change of seed, the quality of 

 our wheat must improve if methods of cultivation are correct. 



Mississippi Station, Third Annual Report, 1890 (pp. 43). 



Financial keport (p. 4). — This is for the year ending June 30, 1890. 



Eeport of director, S. M. Tract, M. S. (pp. 5, G).— Brief state- 

 ments regarding the buildings, equipment, publications, and organiza- 

 tion of the station. Three branch stations for work in special lines 

 have been located at Holly Springs, Lake, and Ocean Springs. The 

 last-mentioned station is on the Gulf coast and is for exjjeriments with 

 semi-tropical fruits, rice, and sugar-cane. 



Field experiments with cotton (pp. 7-20). — These included 

 experiments with fertilizers, methods of culture, and varieties. 



Cotton, fertilizer experiments. — These were conducted at the station 

 and at Holly Springs. The principal fertilizers used were kainit, cotton- 

 seed meal, cotton seed, stable manure, sulphate of potash, acid phos- 

 phate, and nitrate of soda. Details are given in notes and tables. 

 The general results of these and previous experiments by the station 

 are summed up as follows: 



The station has been in existence 3 years and has tested aboiit fifteen fertilizers 

 each season on the yellow-clay soils which are typical of the hill regions of the State. 

 In nearly all cases plats have been duplicated each season, and in many cases three 

 or four plats have been used as duplicates. It has been our uniform ex])erience dur- 

 ing three seasons that the piirchase of concentrated nitrogenous fertilizers is not 

 profitable ; that acid phosphate alone is onlj^ occasionally profitable ; that potash 

 fertilizers, either in the form of kainit, sulphate of potash, or ashes, have always 

 given a fair j)rofit. We have also found that a fertilizer containing a large percentage 

 of potavsli Avith a smaller amount of phosphoric acid has invariably given a greater 

 net profit than has any single conunercial salt. While good results have always been 

 obtained by the use of a mixture of potash and phosphoric acid salts, results have 

 been still better when the soil has received a fair supply of vegetable matter in addi- 

 tion. Whether this vegetable nuxtter is derived from composting the commercial 

 salts with meal, cotton seed, or stable manure seems to make but little diiference, 

 though if manure is used much more will be required than of the meal or seed. The 

 work has been mainly to determine as far as possible the elements most needed, which, 

 as stated above, appear to be a liberal supply of potash, to which should be added 

 some other material which will furnish a smaller amount of phosphoric acid and 

 nitrogen, together with the necessary vegetable matter. At present prices kainit is 

 the cheapest form in which to buy potash, while the other elements needed may be 

 furnished in cotton seed, cottim-sced meal, or stable manure, the choice depending on 

 the local supply of each available. 



The work accomplished so far seeming to indicate so plainly the elements needed, 

 the future work of the station will be directed mainly toward ascertaining amounts 

 of each which can be used with profit and the best methods and times of application. 



