FIELD CHOPS. 629 



Physiological correlations and climatic reactions in alfalfa breeding, G. F. 

 Freeman (Amer. ^'at., 48 (1914), No. 510, pp. 356-368, fig. J).— This paper 

 discusses the factors of temperature, relative humidity, and water supply in 

 thek- relation to development, yield, and chemical comix)sition of 44 regional 

 varieties of alfalfa grown at the experiment station farm at Phoenix, Ariz., 

 and gives tables showing the correlation between stand and yield, between 

 nitrogen content of hay and percentage of leaves, between nitrogen content of 

 hay and nitrogen content of leaves, between percentage of leaves and stand, be- 

 tween percentage of leaves and height, between percentage of leaves and yield, 

 and between nitrogen content of hay and period required for maturity. 



It is noted that in respect to yield " the different regional varieties take the 

 following relative order : Peruvian, European, Turkestan, American, and Medi- 

 terranean. It is here noticeable that though the European and Mediterranean 

 varieties have similar seasonal yield curves they are not contiguous in the ar- 

 rangement based on total yields. This is a result of a market difference in the 

 .stand maintained by the two varieties, which averaged 92 per cent for the 

 former and 74 per cent for the latter. In their ability to maintain stand, the 

 Peruvian, European, Turkestan, and American varieties were about equal, 

 averaging 92, 92, 93, and 94 per cent, respectively. The lack of .stand on the 

 l)art of the Mediterranean alfalfas was not due to the poor quality of the 

 original seed, for all of these plats once had perfect stands." 



The author concludes that " in economic plant breeding one frequently en- 

 counters physiologically negative correlations, such as those in alfalfa, be- 

 tween height, stooling capacity, height and percentage of leaves, and between 

 yield and quality. In seeking improvement, therefore, the breeder must recog- 

 nize and make use of these facts in the interpretation of results obtained, and 

 also search for races which violate such naturally antagonistic correlations to 

 the greatest possible extent." 



The cultural value of Turkestan alfalfa, G. BoHrriNSK-:^ ( Mount sh. Landw., 

 7 (1914), No. 3-4, pp. 73-81, fig. 1).— The results of trials here given indicate a 

 superiority of Hungarian over Turkestan alfalfa. 



A new method of growing corn, C. C. Cunningham (Jour. Amer. Sac. 

 Agron., 6 {1914), ^o. 2, pp. 84-88, figs. 2). — The author describes a method of 

 planting corn that has been successfully tried out in western dry-land condi- 

 tions of western Kansas. By this method the corn is planted in X'ows twice the 

 usual distance apart while the plants are twice as thick in the row. The stand 

 is therefore the same, but as this method seems to preserve the moisture mid- 

 way between the rows the supply is often sutficieut to maintain the corn in a 

 nourishing condition during tempoi'ary periods of drought, while occasionally 

 it may complete the development of the crop. It is noted that by this method 

 the yields were around 30 bu. per acre while adjoining fields in which the rows 

 were 31 ft. apart the yields were only 10 to 12 bu. per acre. 



Variety tests of corn for 1913, G. M. Garken (Bui. N. C. Dept. Agr., 35 

 (1914), No. 2, pp. 16). — This bulletin gives data in tabular form covering about 

 40 varieties of corn grown in 1913 at the test farms at Buncombe, Iredell, Cen- 

 tral Station, and Edgecombe, and summaries of yields of certain varieties 

 grown at Iredell and Edgecombe in 1909-1913, inclusive. 



Brief notes discuss these results and point to the varieties. Weekly Improved 

 and Biggs Seven Ear, as most suitable for North Carolina. 



Fertilizer experiments with cotton on the sandy loam, soils (Norfolk 

 sandy loams) of the coastal plain, B. W. Kilgore, C. B. Williams, G. M. 

 MacNider, and R. W. Scott, jr. (Bui. N. C. Dept. Agr., 35 (1914), No. 4, pp. 

 48). — This bulletin continues previous work (E. S. R., 24, p. 336), and reports 

 the results of experiments with cotton to determine the fertilizer needs of the 

 coastal plain soils. 



