632 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



II. Agricultural history and utility of the cultivated aroids, O. F. Cook 

 (pp. 31-37). — A sketch is given of the historical and agricultural importance 

 of aroids, including a discussion of their distribution and of their interest from 

 the standpoint of ethnology. The extent of their present food use in the 

 different parts of the world and the possibilities for their introduction for that 

 purpose among Europeans are discussed. 



Variegated alfalfa, J. M. Westgate {U. 8. Dept. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus. Bui. 

 169, pp. as. pis. !). pgs. 5). — Studies of fields of especially hardy alfalfa have 

 indicated that the hardy strains agree quite closely in botanical and agronomic 

 characters. These characters indicate that the hardiness of these strains arises 

 from their possession of a small percentage of the blood of Mcdicago falcata, 

 which occurs wild in Siberia on the dry cold steppes of Siberia, far north of 

 the range of ordinary alfalfa ( M. sativa ) . The term variegated alfalfa is used 

 in this bulletin to designate the progeny of the intermediate hybrid formation, 

 secured by crossing different strains and varieties of alfalfa. 



For sections presenting winter conditions too severe for ordinary alfalfa, 

 it Is suggested that the preference may well be given to the Grimm alfalfa, 

 sand lucern, and Canadian alfalfa, and that the initial seeding of any of the 

 variegated alfalfas should be on a small scale in sections new to them, because 

 the preliminary field tests are of too short a duration to warrant definite 

 conclusions as to their relative value. The great variation among individuals 

 of the different strains of variegated alfalfa gives great promise of th^ result 

 that may be obtained from breeding and selection for the further development of 

 improved strains. 



A discussion of the history and commercial value of the sand lucern is 

 followed by a similar study of the Grimm alfalfa and a briefer discussion of 

 Canadian alfalfa, German alfalfa and Russian forms of variegated alfalfa 

 from Simbirsk and Kharkof, an outline of the work resulting in the recreation 

 of variegated alfalfa, and comparative botanical studies of the different strains 

 and their parents. 



The influence of storage and drying on barley, W. Windisch and E. 

 BiscHKOPFF ( WeJinsehr. Brau., 26 {1909). Nos. 38, pp. U9-Ji59; 39, pp. 469-.'f79; 

 40, pp. 52.'t-530 : .'it, pp. 53Jf-542). — This article reports experiments on the 

 effect of storage and drying on 77 samples of barleys grown in the different 

 German provinces in 1902 and 1903, both ordinary barleys received from the 

 farms and special samples prepared for exhibition purposes being used in the 

 tests. Determinations were made of the vitality, viability, total nitrogen and 

 albumin, water soluble nitrogen, coagulable albumin, proteolytic action, specific 

 weight of extracts obtained, total phosphoric acid, diastatic power, amount of 

 dextrin, sugar, and other carbohydrates present, and other data of interest. 



The barleys of 1902 had a water content of about 13.9 per cent which was 

 reduced by drying in storage to 9.5 per cent. In 1903, the water content was 



14 to 15 per cent in the case of the barleys prepared for exhibition purposes and 



15 to 16 per cent for the barleys received from the fields. The barleys stored 

 in sacks and dried gradually contained 11 to 12 per cent of water. The exhi- 

 bition barleys, when dried for 2 days at from 20° to 25° C, had the water con- 

 tent reduced to 9 per cent, and those from the fields fell to from 7 to 11 per cent. 



The vitality and viability of all barleys grown in 1902 was increased through 

 drying to the extent of from j to ^ the original vigor. Slow drying in air had 

 a more favorable effect than rapid drying at a higher temperature. Results 

 of tests of proteolytic action during the two years were quite different. 



Storing and drying had apparently a marked influence on solubility. In 

 1902. the water soluble niti'ogenous material decreased in 77 per cent of the 



