FIELD CEOPS. ,331 



cations of 4, 5, and 6 cwt. of superphosphate, each supplemented with sulphate 

 of ammonia and kaiuit, a slightly greater value of crop after deducting the 

 cost of manures, resulted from the heaviest application of superphosphate. 

 Similarly, a slightly greater return vpas secured from 6 cwt. of basic slag than 

 followed the use of 4 or 5 cwt. each supplemented with sulphate of ammonia 

 and kainit. 



A'ariety tests of wheat, potatoes, mangels, turnips, and oats are also reported. 



[Experiments with field crops in 1906, 1907, and 1908] {Otchet Shatilov. 

 Selsk. Khoz. Opytn. Stantsii, 6 {1910); abs. in Zhur. Opytn. Agron. {Russ. 

 Jour. Expt. LandiD.), 12 {1911), No. 1, pp. 96-100). — Among other general 

 observations a study was made of the residual effect of barnyard manure and 

 commercial fertilizers. ^ 



Plats treated with barnyard manure 5 years before showed the effect of 

 this application in the crops of oats and winter cereals. In 1906, buckwheat 

 on land which had received an application of barnyard manure in 1900 gave a 

 smaller yield than a crop produced on plats which had received no manure. 

 This result is considered due to the larger crops secured from the manured 

 plats during the intervening years, which led to an actual exhaustion of soil 

 fertility by reason of the manure applied 7 years earlier. 



Plats treated with commercial fertilizers in 1900 all produced much better 

 crops in 1901 than the check plats but in 1907 after 5 crops had been removed 

 during this period the yields on these plats were smaller than on the plats 

 not treated with commercial fertilizers in 1900. 



In trials of Thomas slag, application in the drill, although favoring the 

 early development of the plants, did not give as good results as applying the 

 substance broadcast. The first year the application of the slag in the drill 

 seemed to have reduced the proportion of straw and increased the proportion 

 of grain as compared with broadcasting the fertilizer, but the second year the 

 proportion of straw was the greater on the plats receiving the slag in the drill, 

 while on the plats treated broadcast the proportion was the same as on the 

 check plats. 



Harrowing winter cereals in the spring usually lowered the yield and was 

 never of any apparent benefit. In 7 years' tests sowing oats broadcast gave 

 larger yields than sowing in drills. 



Sugg'ested cropping systems for the black lands of Texas, B. Yottngblood 

 (U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus. Circ. 84, pp. 21, figs. 13). — This is a report 

 of work which the author regards as " preliminary to a more extensive and 

 detailed study of farm-management problems in the black-land belt." 



He suggests deep fall plowing and the rotation of resistant with nonresistant 

 crops, and the incorporation of organic matter into the soil, as measures which 

 will largely overcome the evil effects of Texas root-rot. As legumes are less 

 affected cowpeas and alfalfa are suggested. Alfalfa is killed by root- rot in from 

 2 to 5 years but has proved a paying crop in a short rotation with grain. Cow- 

 peas may be grown successfully on the black lands m the ordinary cotton, corn, 

 and oats rotation by planting them in alternate rows with the corn, or after 

 the oats in rows, and cultivating them 2 or 3 times. On one farm studied a 

 4-year rotation used provided for (1) wheat or oats, (2) legumes, (3) com, 

 milo maize, or sorghum, and (4) cotton. The author believes that a mixed 

 rotation similar to this one will be most satisfactory on most black-land farms. 



Alfalfa in Ohio— a field study, W. M. Cook {Ohio Sta. Circ. US, pp. S-56, 

 figs. 26). — This paper, presented in connection with the agricultural survey of 

 Ohio, is a progress report of a field study of the alfalfa crop on about 300 well 

 distributed farms in that State. The principal topics discussed are the soil, 

 climatic, fertilizer, and cultural requirements of alfalfa, nurse crops, and the 



