432 EXPEEIMENT STATION EECORD. 



exceedingly variable, and although it avei-aged lowest among the violet and 

 highest among the brown seeds it had no apparent connection with color. 



Native seed corn, B. G. Montgomery {Nebraska Sta. Bui. 126, pp. S-tlS, 

 Pgg_ ^). — At the Nebraska Station native seed of 6 leading corn varieties was 

 compared for 2 and 3 years with that grown in either Iowa or Illinois. In every 

 case the native seed gave the better yield, the average difference being 6.2 bu. 

 These tests were conducted during the period 1903-1905. In 1909 seed repre- 

 senting 3 different degrees of acclimatization was tested. Show corn of 5 

 varieties grown in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio produced average yields of 39.8 bu. 

 per acre as compared with 45.6 bu. i^er acre in case of 5 varieties of Nebraska- 

 grown seed and 48.8 bu. per acre in case of 7 local varieties grown near the 

 station. 



In central and western Nebraska a number of farmers conducted cooperative 

 tests in 1908-9. In 1908 varieties native to the localities of those reporting 

 averaged 30.5 bu. per acre as compared with 24.1 bu. per acre from seed fur- 

 nished by the station from western or central Nebraska. In 1909 the varieties 

 could be divided into 3 groups: Those from eastern Nebraska, which gave an 

 average yield of 20.9 bu. per acre, those from central and western Nebraska 

 which averaged 21.9, and those from the growers' own or native seed which 

 averaged 25.4 bu. per acre. 



It is concluded that it will be safer for growers in westei'n Nebraska to use 

 their native seed than to try importing seed, even from the eastern part of the 

 State. 



Studies in water requirements of corn, E. G. Montgomery and T. A. Kiessel- 

 BACH (Nebraska Sta. Bui. 128, pp. S-15, figs. 4). — The authors summarize the 

 results of earlier work at this station on the water requirements of corn, already 

 noted (E. S. R., 24, p. 137; 25, p. 832). 



A.S it has been noted in the past that water loss was more closely related to 

 humidity than to any other factor, the humidity of one greenhouse was main- 

 tained at that of the surrounding atmosphere by leaving it open, while that of 

 another was kept much higher by means of atomizers and wet floors. Eight 

 corn plants were grown in each house. Some of the data collected for those 

 grown in the dry and humid greenhouses, respectively, were mean relative 

 liumidity at night, 48 and 72 per cent ; by day, 37 and 58 per cent ; mean tem- 

 perature at night, 80 and 75° F. ; by day 91 and 88° ; total weight of 8 plants, 

 670.36 and 861.77 gm. ; average leaf area per plant, 1,079 and 1,070 sq. in. ; total 

 water used, 227.785 and 184.230 kg. ; water to produce 1 gm. of dry matter. 340 

 and 191 gm. ; water per square inch of leaf area, 27.3 and 19.2 gm. ; and water 

 evaporated from 36 sq. in. of free surface. 3,891 and 2,187 gm. These figures 

 are for 1911. In 1910 and 1911, 250 and 345 gm. of water, respectively, were 

 required per gram of dry matter produced. 



In work on the relation of water requirements to soil fertility, 3 lots of 4 

 cans each were filled respectively with an infertile, residual sandstone soil, a 

 quite fertile black alluvial pasture soil, and a mixture of the two. Another 

 series of cans also received 2.4 lbs. per can of moisture-free sheep manure, equiv- 

 alent to an application of 12 tons per acre. Analyses of the soils used are given. 

 The water requirements of the infertile, intermediate, and quite fertile soils were 

 found to be 549.5, 478.9 and 391.8 gm., respectively, per gram of dry matter 

 produced as compared with 350.3, 341.3, and 346.6 gm. in case of the manured 

 soils. For the fertile soil the decrease was small, and it is considered doubtful 

 whether, under field conditions, adding manure to soils of good fertility would 

 decrease the water requirements. 



