32 EXPEEIMENT STATION RECORD. 



The manurial value of difCereat potassium compounds for barley and rice, 

 K. Aso {Bui. Col. Af/r., Tokyo Imp. Univ., 7 (1906), No. 1. pp. 67-72).— It was 

 found that potassium chlorid accelerated the flowering process and. augmented 

 grain production in barley, while it reduced the yield of rice. The fertilizer 

 value of the silicate was highest in several cases and martellin is regarded as 

 a good potash fertilizer for grasses. The chlorid acted very favorably on the 

 production of grains, while the sulphate tended to increase the formation of 

 straw. The carbonate was inferior to the sulphate in all cases when applied 

 with secondary sodium phosphate, a physiologically allvaline manure. 



On the influence of the reaction of the manure upon the yield, K. Aso and 

 R. Bahadur {Bui. Col. Agr., Tokyo Imp. Univ., 7 (1906), No. 1, pp. 39-46, pi. 

 1). — Different combinations of plant food substances were used in sand with 

 rice, peas, and barley, and soil culture with onions and barley. The influence 

 of the reaction of the manuring compounds was observed to be very great. The 

 combination of ammonium sulphate and disodium i)hosphate produced the best 

 results with paddy rice, while the mixture of sodium nitrate and monosodium 

 phosphate gave the best results with barley and peas. In the test with onions 

 ammonium sulphate produced a much l)etter result than sodium phosphate when 

 phosphoric acid was given as disodium pliosi)hate and potash in the form of 

 potassium carbonate. 



On the lime factor for flax and spinach, S. Namikawa (Bui. Col. Agr., 

 Tokyo Imp. Univ., 7 (1906). No. 1, pp. 57-60). — The lime factor is here deter- 

 mined as the best ratio of lime to magnesia, and tlie results secured show that 

 this factor for flax and spinach is about equal to 1. 



Plowing experiments, W. Farrer and G. L. Sutton (Af/r. Gaz. N. S. Wales, 

 17 (1906), No. J/, pp. 319-326, fig. 1, dgms. 2). — In connection with experiments 

 with wheat at the Cowra Experiment Station a comparison of disk and mold- 

 board plows for preparing the soil showed that in new ground of a loamy cliar- 

 acter and during a wet fall and winter the use of the mold-l)oard plow is prefer- 

 able to the dislv plow. The results obtained further indicate that it is much 

 better to plow G in. deep with the mold-board plow than to plow only 4 in. deep ; 

 and when the work is done with the disk plow a depth of S in. seemed to give 

 better results than shallower plowing. 



Alfalfa, \\. P. IIeadden (Colorado 8ta. Bid. 110. pp. 16).— This bulletin is a 

 general and brief treatise on the culture of alfalfa in Colorado, the discussion 

 being based largely on the subject-matter contained in Bulletin 35 of the sta- 

 tion (E. S. R., 8, p. 768). Since the publication of that bulletin vitality and 

 germination tests of alfalfa seed were made and the results are here briefly 

 stated. It was determined that the first quality seed purchased in 1905 l)y the 

 station contained 28S.2G7 seeds per pound, while 2 samples of first quality 

 screenings contained 259,.340 and 266.233 per pound, respectively. Twelve sam- 

 ples of seed and screenings wei-e kept for a series of years, the age of the sam- 

 ples in 1006 varying from 2 to 16 years, 11 of the samples being over 11 years 

 . old. The average percentage of germination in these samples ranged from 14 

 to 92.5. The sample averaging highest was 12 years old and had lost during 

 this period only 2.5 per cent of its germinating power. Four other tests were 

 made with this sample and the average of these 4 tests showed a germination 

 of 94.25 per cent, or very nearly as high as in the test made in 1896 when the 

 seed was only 2 years old. The results with this sample show that " good, 

 plump, mature, clean alfalfa seed does not lose its vitality i-apidly when kept 

 with ordinary precaution to prevent injury from moisture." The oldest sample 

 had a germinating power of 93 per cent when ("> years old. of 72 when 10 years 

 old, and of 63 when 16 years old. The author believes that the limit for the 



