130 EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. 



FIELD CROPS. 



Farm practice in the Columbia Basin uplands, B. Hunter (U. S. Dept. 

 Agr., F(in)icr!<' Bui. 29.'f, pp. 30, figs. 9). — A description of the region and its types 

 of soil is given, its agricultural history outlined, and the cropping systems fol- 

 lowed described. The most important varieties of spring wheat grown in that 

 section are Little Club, Red Chaff, Jenliins, Early Wilbur, and Bluestem, and 

 the most important varieties of winter wheats are Red Russian, Jones Fife, 

 Fortyfold, and Turkey Red. Each one of these varieties is briefly noted. 



The best method of summer fallowing consists in disking and harrowing in the 

 early spring before plowing, packing the subsurface immediately after plowing, 

 and then giving sufficient surface cultivation to retain moisture and keep the 

 weeds under control. Where this method is practiced, the yields of wheat are 

 about 2.5 per cent greater than those obtained by ordinary summer fallowing. 

 It was observed that the use of implements for settling and packing the bottom 

 of the plow furi'ow tends to increase materially the yield of all cereal crops 

 when the land is plowed in the spring before it is sown. 



It is also stated that farmers as a whole will secure better results by con- 

 fining themselves to a few varieties of wheat. Little Club and Red Chaff are 

 best adapted to humid sections and Bluestem to arid and semiarid condi- 

 tions. Early Wilbur, a new wheat, is promising in the arid section because of 

 its earliness. Of the winter vrheats Turkey Red stands first for the arid and 

 semiarid sections. When the grains are hard and horny it is a very superior 

 milling wheat, but on account of its tendency to become starchy it may be neces- 

 sary to procure seed wheat occasionally from Kansas and Nebraska. Fortyfold 

 is adapted to the entire region, stands the winters well, and has the advantage 

 of being early. 



Dry farming in Montana, F. B. Linfield and A. Atkinson {Montana Sta. 

 Bill. 63. pp. 32, pi. 1, figs. 8, maps 2). — The first part of this bulletin describes 

 the districts where dry farming promises greatest success in Montana and the 

 second part describes the principles and practices of dry farming. 



In connection with the descriptions of the different districts the rainfall of 

 the various sections is discussed and the amount of precipitation recoi'ded. 

 Historical notes on dry land cropping are given and the statement is made that 

 in any portion of the State having 14 in. of rainfall or more, and where the 

 precipitation for the months of April, May, June, and July is 7 to 8 in. or over, 

 dry farming properly conducted ought to be successful, but that those areas 

 with an average of 12 in. or less of annual rainfall, and with less than 7 in. in 

 the spring and early summer months, offer a less promising outlook. 



In discussing the principles and practices of dxy farming the results gained 

 from actual tests made in the State are presented. The following cultural 

 methods have been found of value : The formation of a deep seed bed as a soil 

 moisture reservoir, careful packing of the soil, constant surface cultivation when 

 possible, summer fallowing each alternate year together with summer cultiva- 

 tion, growing hardy strains of the different crops, growing fall and early ripen- 

 ing strains of spring grain, thin seeding, growing intertilled crops like corn and 

 potatoes, as constant cultivation retains soil moisture, and occasionally gi'owing 

 a leguminous crop. 



The average yields per acre on .5 dry farms in 1906 were as follows : Durinn 

 wheat 14.03 bu.. Sixty Day oats 27.4.5 bu.. White Hulless barley 20.86 bu., spelt 

 19.60 bu., spring rye 14.90 bu., fall rye 25.15 bu.. flax 8.72 bu.. sugar beets 5..50 

 tons, potatoes 95.53 bu., and corn 42 bu. As determined on 3 of the farms sowing 

 3 pk. per acre of spring wheat or of oats gave better yields than either 5 or 8 pk., 

 and 3 pk. of barley gave a better yield than 5 pk. 



