FIELD CROPS. 335 



while the untreated seed produced a crop with 19 per cent of the heads smutted. 

 Home-grown seed of 1 variety of mangels produced over li times as great a 

 crop as did commercial seed of the same variety, but there was little difference 

 in case of another mangel variety and 2 turnip varieties. 



At the Indian Head farm an unpacked acre produced 1 bu. 32 lbs. more peas 

 than did soil packed once with subsurface packer. The oat yield was appar- 

 ently raised from 81 bu. 21 lbs. to SS bu. 17 lbs. by packing once, and the barley 

 yield from 64 bu. 28 lbs. to 69 bu. 28 lbs. Barley on soil packed twice yielded 

 over a bushel less than on soil packed only once. The first year's results of a 

 series of rotation tests on summer fallowed land are reported. 



On the nonirrigated farm at Lethbridge, land harrowed April 9 yielded 18 bu. 

 48 lbs. of winter wheat per acre as compared with 16 bu. 15 lbs. on that not 

 harrowed. Wheat sown September 1 and 15 produced heavier yields than that 

 sown on other dates ranging from July 15 to December 1. Sowing at the rate 

 of 75 lbs. per acre resulted in a higher 3-year-average yield than did any of 

 the 7 other rates tested ranging from 15 to 120 lbs. In case of spring wheat 105 

 lbs. gave the highest 3-year-average yield. From 60 to 105 lbs. of oats and 

 from 75 to 105 lbs. of barley appeared to be the best rates of sowing. Higher 

 potato yields followed planting in rows 2* or 3 ft. apart than 3i or 4 ft. apart, 

 and 2 ft. apart in the row invariably excelled 1 ft. apart. 



On the irrigated farm at Lethbridge, in rate of seeding tests, the highest 3- 

 year-average yields followed sowings of from 75 to 105 lbs. of spring wheat, 

 from 90 to 105 lbs. of oats, and from 45 to 60 lbs. of barley. Alfalfa seeded at 

 the rate of 10 lbs. per acre produced about the same yield as when sown at 

 higher rates up to 30 lbs. per acre. Spring and fall irrigated winter wheat 

 yielded 18 bu. 5 lbs. and 21 bu. 40 lbs per acre, respectively. A mixture of 

 alfalfa, timothy, and rye grass produced a little higher 2-year-average yield 

 than a mixture of alfalfa and rye grass, and about 0.8 ton per acre more than 

 a mixture of alfalfa and timothy. Soil-inoculated clover produced more than 

 twice as much as that not inoculated and over li times as much as that inocu- 

 lated with a laboratory culture. 



At the Lacombe farm, in 1910, the highest yield obtained in rate of sowing 

 tests followed sowings of 2 bu. of winter wheat, 2 J bu. of spring wheat, 2i bu. 

 of oats and from 2J to 3 bu. of barley. The results of date of sowing tests are 

 also reported, and a table states the yields secured in a rather inconclusive test 

 of acid phosphate, muriate of potash, and nitrate of soda in various mixtures for 

 spring wheat. The use of a surface soil packer apparently increased the barley 

 yields by about 5 bu. per acre. Among 8 varieties or strains of alfalfa, spring 

 sown in 1909, Medicago falcata and Grimm from Excelsior, Minn., showed in 

 1910 that about 100 and 95 per cent of their plants, respectively, had survived 

 the winter as compared with from 20 to 92 per cent among the others tested. 

 Alfalfa inoculated with soil and with a commercial culture yielded 9,216 and 

 7,552 lbs. of green material per acre, respectively. 



[Field crops at the Florida Station], J. M. Scott (Florida Sta. Rpt. 1911, 

 pp. XX-XXVI, figs. 2). — In a test of 8 varieties of cowi^eas, each of which was 

 sown broadcast and also planted in rows and cultivated, Brabham, Peerless, 

 and Iron produced the highest yields. Brabham and Iron were the only vari- 

 eties found to be resistant to root-knot. Broadcast sowings gave greater yields 

 in the case of 3 varieties, but averaged much lower when all varieties were con- 

 sidered. Broadcasting required 50 per cent more seed but gave a better quality 

 of hay for horses and mules because it was mixed with crab grass. 



Among SO soy bean varieties tested Mammoth, Black, Neilson, Yellow, Canton, 

 and Edwards are noted as worthy of further trial. The Yokohama bean 



