224 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



FIELD CROPS. 



Report on agricultural investigations in Alaska, 1905 f^ield crops], C. C. 

 Georgeson (r. .v. Dcpt. Ayr.. Office Expt. titas. Bui. 169, pp. 30-51, 56-58, 

 61-63, pis. 3). — Earlier work with field crops at the Alaska Stations has been 

 previously reported (E. S. R., 17, p. 349). The work at the Sitka station is 

 now devoted chiefly to horticulture. 



Work at the Copper Center St(itio)i. — It has been demonstrated at this sta- 

 tion that owing to the early frosts in August grain growing is not very success- 

 ful, but that under usual conditions any anioiuit of rough feed can be pro- 

 duced. It was found that ne\^' ground fertilized with guano at the rate of 500 

 lo GOO lbs. per acre produced from 50 to 90 per cent better crops than when no 

 fertilizer was used. Each variety of the various grains tested was grown on 

 several tracts. On tracts A, B, and C half of each plat was fertilized at the 

 time of seeding with guano at the rate of 500 lbs. per acre. Tracts A and C 

 were seeded with a small hand drill. Tract B was seeded in open drills by 

 hand and covered with the hand rake. Tract D was seeded with a horse drill. 

 Frost on August 14 seriously Injured the crops. 



A croi) of winter wheat sown August 8, 1904. came through the winter fairly 

 well, and the grain was in the dough and beginning to harden when injured by 

 the frost in August. It is believed that some of the grains will grow. Ro- 

 manow spring wheat sown May 9 matured no seed. Saskatchewan life sown 

 May 10 was sufHciently matured for good hay by August 30, and cured very 

 quickly when cut. Notes on a number of other varieties of wheat are given, 

 but in every case these were injured by frost. Ladoga and Harold were the 

 furthest advanced when the first killing frost came, and part of the grain se- 

 cured was matured sufficiently to grow. These 2 varieties were followed in 

 degree of maturity by Ebert, Plumper, Stanley, Early Riga, and Roumanian. 



Silver hull buckwheat from home-grown seed from the crop of 1903 made a 

 good growth, but was killed to the ground by frost August 14, when some of the 

 seed was nearly matured. 



Excelsior winter rye sown July 10 had the grain well filled and was in the 

 dough on July 28. It was not matured when injured by frost, when the crop 

 was cut for seed. True Stock spring rye on fertilized ground grew from 40 to 

 44 in. high, and .yielded fully two-thirds more forage than oats under like 

 conditions. 



Chami)ion barley on tract A, sown May 11, was in the hardening stage at the 

 time of the first frost and was thrashed for seed. On tracts B and C the crop 

 was spoiled by frost. Hanna 2-rowed barley on tract B, seeded broadcast May 

 23 on the ground, had matured sufficiently for good hay by August 22. Lapland 

 was almost ripe on August 14, but the frost shriveled the grain to some extent. 

 When the first killing frost came, August 14, Champion was the furthest ad- 

 vanced, being closely followed by Chevalier, Odessa, Black Hulless, Manchuria, 

 jNJanshury, Hanna No. 9133, and Primus No. 10586. 



Finnish black oats on tract B, from Sitka Experiment Station seed, were 

 little damaged by the frost, and the crop was saved for seed. On tract A, which 

 was sown May 12, there was no visible injury from frost. Of the different 

 varieties of oats grown Burt Extra Early ripened several days before any 

 other variety and was thrashed before frost. Finnish, Swedish Select, Sixty- 

 day, Improved Ligowo, and Tartar King ripened about together, and the early 

 seedings showed no injury from the frost of August 14. 



The grasses under test were in their third season of growth, but owing to a 

 dry year poor results were secured. Red, white, and alsike clover, sown in 1903 



