634 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Placing tliO plants fmui 15 to 18 in. apart in rows 3^ to 4 ft. apart gave satis- 

 factory yields. The Bermuda type was tlie most productive, the average yield 

 for 3 "years being 18,371 lbs. per acre. The average cost of production, not in- 

 cluding the hauling, the growing of the slips, and the cost of sacks, was 

 $61.75, and the estimated total cost $128.44. 



Trimming the sweet potato vines apparently had no advantage. A heavy 

 vine growth seemed to be correlated with a large yield of tubers. In two 

 experiments the use of 400 lbs. per acre of nitrate of soda seemed to increase 

 the yield. It is the experience of the station that a better stand in the field 

 can be secured from home-grown plants than from those shipped from a long 

 distance. The estimated net receipts per acre at the station for the 3 years 

 1007-1! )0!) were ,$123.81. Storing sweet potatoes in dry sand reduced decay and 

 evaporation. 



Preparing- land for winter wheat, A. M. Ten Eyck and L. E. Call {Kansas 

 Sta. Circ. 2, pp. -}). — The results with several methods of preparing the seed 

 beds for winter wheat carried on for the past two seasons are briefly reported. 



Plowing was done on July 15, August 15, and September 15. The highest 

 yields were obtained from the August 15 plowing. The wheat on the early 

 plowed plat, which was an old alfalfa field, lodged, and this may have interfered 

 with the yield. One plat plowed August 15 and cultivated after plowing re- 

 ceived two harrowings before September 15, while a second plat plowed at the 

 same time was not surface cultivated until September 15. The two harrow- 

 ings increased the yield in 1907 by 4 bu. per acre and in 1908 by 2 bu. per acre. 

 The late ])lowing each year gave the lowest yield of any of the plowed plats. 

 Listing and disking did not prove especially successful. 



It is recommended that the seed bed for winter wheat should be mellow and 

 well pulverized only about as deep as the seed is planted and that below that 

 depth the soil should be firm and well settled. This condition, it is pointed 

 out, will supply moisture to the seed from the firm soil below and the mellow 

 soil above will prevent a too rapid evaporation. 



Variety tests of wheat, C. F. Noll (Peniisi/lvania Sta. Bui. 94, pp. 3-13). — 

 The results of variety tests in 1908 and 1909 are reported in tabular form with 

 brief comments. 



The highest yielding varieties according to the averages for the last 4 years 

 ranked as follows: Dawson Golden Chaff, Harvest King, Fulcaster, Turkish 

 Amber, Beechwood Hybrid, Rochester Red, Forty Fold or Gold Coin, China, and 

 Reliable. The grain yields of these varieties ranged from 36.4 to .32.6 bu. per 

 acre. Turkish Amber led in straw production with an average yield for the 4 

 years of 4,191 lbs. per acre, followed by Fulcaster with 4,129 lbs. Dawson 

 Golden Chaff stood last among these varieties as a straw producer, the average 

 yield for the variety being only 3,153 lbs. per acre. Dawson Golden Chaff, 

 Harvest King, and Rochester Red, which exhibit considerable resistance to 

 lodging on account of their stiff straw, are recommended for rich land. Pre- 

 liminary milling and baking tests have indicated that Dawson Golden Chaff 

 is inferior in quality to Fulcaster. 



A comparison of different dates of sowing was conducted in 1907 and 1908. 

 The wheat was sown on 8 different dates from August 18 to October 27. In 

 1907 the wheat sown October 8 gave the highest yield of grain and that sown 

 September 8 the highest yield of straw, while in 1908 the wheat sown August 

 28 ranked first in yield of both grain and straw. The yields from these different 

 seedings were largely conti'olled by the prevalence of the Hessian fly. The first 

 year the late seeding yielded comparatively well because the early seeding was 

 injured by this insect. In addition good growing weather in October and No- 

 vember favored the late sown wheat. In the second year a small injury by the 



