FIELD CROPS. 1035 



giive nil avorage yield <il" 41.1 Im.. as coiniiaicd willi .■'.;>.<'. Im. where sown with 

 a seeder. Drilling on I'all plowing gave an average yield of 43.3 bu., and on 

 spring plowing 87.3 bu., as compared with 41.2 bu. and 35 bu., respectively, where 

 a seeder was used. In 4 cases where the barley was sown on land not plowed, 

 Init worked up carefully with a disc plow, an average yield of 22.2 bu. was 

 secured. 



The row test of Wisconsin No. 7 corn, begun in I'.Mi.". sliowed Hint the yields of 

 seed corn and marketal)le corn had been materially increased over those of a 

 year ago. The average yield per row in ^'M~) was, seed corn 22.G lbs., market- 

 able corn 07 lbs., and nubbins 7.2 lbs. : mid in I'.Kh;, seed corn 53.1 llts., market- 

 able corn 132.8 lbs., and iiui)biiis i:', lbs. In l!tO(i the average yield per acre 

 (in 4 10-row plats was 75 bu. While the heavy yield was largely due to a 

 fnvornble season, it was imdccd Hint the increase of seed corn was greater 

 in proportion than that of tli<' nubbins, and this fact is considered due to the 

 selection of seed. 



For 2 years seed has b(>en selected from stalks liearing a single large ear and 

 compared with seed from stalks bearing 2 good ears. The results at present 

 show a decrease in the weight of single ears in one case niid an increase in the 

 other, with a similar result in the double-ear strain. The total yield of corn 

 was greater where the selection was made to increase the number of single ears 

 tlian where it was made to increase the number of double ears. The total 

 yield from the single-ear strsiin was 1,324 lbs. of corn from 8 rows each 30(5 ft. 

 long, and 1,107 lbs. from the double-ear stalks. Generally the double^ear stalks 

 produced small and poorly formed ears. 



Of the crosses made in 1005 that of Wisconsin No. 8 on Toole North Star was 

 most promising, and the crop of this cress during 1006 seemed to show that 

 this new variety has a larger ear than the Wisconsin No. 8 and ripens earlier 

 than North Star. The corn was ripe and cut September 20, 120 days after 

 planting, while in 1005 the ripening period of Wisconsin No. 8 was 120 days 

 and of North Star 133 days. 



An experiment in summer seeding of alfalfa was beguu in 1005. The alfalfa 

 was sown without a nurse crop on July 14 and August 12. The next season, 

 while 1.5 tons of field-cured hay per acre was secured on the July seeding, both 

 plats were too weed.v to be successful and were plowed up and sown to winter 

 grains. The following season alfalfa was sown on April 23 and 24 with barley 

 as a nurse crop, on May 11 without n nurse crop, and on .luiie 1 on ground that 

 had been kept free from weeds by cultivation during the seas(jii. The best 

 stand was secured by seeding in April with a nurse crop. As determined from 

 members of the Wisconsin p]xperinient Associatitm, clover and alfalfa were 

 badly winterkilled in the southern half of Wisconsin during the winter of 1000. 

 In the northern part of the State the <-rops were protected by snow and suft'ered 

 little. Alfalfa proved to be as hardy as medium red clover. 



P.rief notes are given on different ]ilniit-breeding experiments in progress. 



Report of the chemist [Field crops], C. L. I'enny (Drlairarc »s7r/. Rpt. 

 If>ii3. PI). 91-112). — Cover crop.s. — A study of various cover crops was made and 

 the yield and composition of the jiortion of the crops above ground and of the 

 roots is tabulated, together with their money valuation as green manures. 

 1 )ata with reference to the moisture content of the surface soil under the differ- 

 ent ci-ops are also given. 



The soy bean furnished the greatest weight of air-dry matter in the tops 

 alone, and the cow-horn turnip the greatest air-dry weight of roots. In the 

 yield of tops and roots the soy bean ranked highest with 3J tons per acre, 

 being followed b.v I'ape with a little over 3 tons, crimson clover and cow-horn 

 turnip with a little less than 3 tons, alfalfa, red clover, and cowpeas with about 



