328 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



article the author describes methods employed by him that involve water and 

 sand cultures in which the pots were sealed with paraffin. 



It was observed that the kind of crop, the strength of the soil solution, the age 

 of the plant, and the amount of moisture in the soil were factors influencing 

 the water requirements of crops. In wheat plants grown in nutrient solutions 

 ranging from 0.01 to 0.33 per cent in strength from 621 to 210 gm., respectively, 

 of water was required for each gram of dry matter produced. 



In regard to methods, basing the results upon dry matter of stalks only or 

 upon that of stalks and roots together, it is noted that in all cases where only 

 stalks have been used the water requirements have been greater and that dif- 

 ferences between the two methods diminished as the strength of the solution in- 

 creased. With a 0.01 per cent solution 1,018 gm. of water were required to pro- 

 duce 1 gm. of dry matter of stalks alone, and 621 gm. to produce 1 gm. of dry 

 matter of plant, including roots, while with 0.33 per cent solution the amounts 

 were 246 and 210 gm.. respectively. This and other data from the experiment 

 show that there was less growth of the roots in proportion to the growth of the 

 stalk in the stronger solutions. "The percentages of ash in the plants grown 

 in the different strengths of solution do not agree with each other, nor do they 

 vary in any regular manner." 



In pure quartz sand cultures 422, 362, and 261 gm. of water were used 

 to produce 1 gm. of dry matter in wheat plants 50, 90, and 137 days of age, 

 respectively, in solutions of uniform strength. 



The water requirements of a crop were shown to increase with the increase 

 of the soil moisture. Data " show that when there is more moisture in the soil 

 there is a larger growth of the plant. But the growth of the plants does not 

 give an idea of the percentage of diy matter." 



Irrigated field crops in western Nebraska, F. Knorr (Nebraska Sta. Bui. 

 llfl (191If), pp. 5-32, figs. 5). — This bulletin contains suggestions based on work 

 at the Scottsbluff Substation and designed to be of value to the farmers of west- 

 ern Nebraska in the production of irrigated field corps. These suggestions touch 

 upon the general practice of irrigation ; the construction and use of farm irriga- 

 tion systems ; the handling of virgin soils ; possible rotations ; and methods em- 

 ployed with alfalfa, sugar beets, wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, and corn. 



Potash fertilizer experiments, F. Heine and K. Lindenberg (Illus. Lanckc. 

 Ztg., SJf (1914), JVo. 12, pp. 110, iii).— Applications of potash to both heavy 

 loam and clay soils in the vicinity of Halberstadt and Magdeburg in connec- 

 tion with the production of wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, rye, and peas, gave 

 unprofitable yields, indicating an abundant supply of potash already in these 

 soils. 



Row fertilizing- experiments, Ahr (Mitt. Detit. Landw. GeseU., 29 (1914), 

 Nos. 7, pp. 94-98; 8, pp. 123-125). — From 2 years of experimental work the 

 author concludes that for a heavy clay soil row fertilization with cereals gave 

 no beneficial results over the ordinary method of broadcasting, but that with 

 stock beets, and probably for all crops planted in wide-distance rows, row 

 fertilization was much superior to other methods. If, however, it implies the 

 use of new, costly, and complicated machinery the row method is not recom- 

 mended for practice. 



Study of relation between space and plant growth, K. Grundmann (Kiihn 

 Arch., 3 (1913), pt. 1, pp. 199-242, fig. 1). — These experiments were conducted 

 with several varieties of sirring wheat, spring barley, and oats, so spaced as to 

 allow 36, 45, 54. 60, 75. 90, 100, and 200 sq. cm. of surface per plant for the 

 several tests. From the resulting data the author made the following con- 

 clusions : 



