FIELD CROPS. 637 



T.on^' Red, mikI Kt-iif) iter cent in (Joltleii Tankard, and tlio suj^ar content was 

 •i.25, n.lo, and 4.1)8 per cent respectively. The inferior quality, indicated by 

 tliese figures, is attributed to st»asorial conditions. The results of fertilizer ex- 

 l)eriments with mangels seem to indicate that barnyard manure and super- 

 jthosphate increases the quantity without deteriorating the quality, that nitrate 

 of soda increases the yield but lower.s the quality (although an actual increase 

 of dry matter and sugar was obtained), and that salt so reduces the quality 

 that the actual amoimt of nutritive material per acre is probablj'^ reduced. It 

 was found that the cost of producing di'y matter in mangels was lower when 

 barnyard manure or commercial fertilizers were used alone than when they 

 were used together, but the I'esidual value of the applications must decide 

 which produces dry matter at the lower cost. 



Five varieties of sugar beets grown in one test gave an average yield of 22.2 

 tons per acre. Vilmorin Improved ranked first in yield and quality in this as 

 well as in the preceding year. 



A fertilizer experiment with jieas showed that 10 tons of barnyard manure 

 per acre was as effective as 15 tons. An api)lication of 5 cwt. each of super- 

 phospuate and kainit and 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda gave a slightly better yield 

 tlian the lighter application of barnyaixl manure. 



A comparison of 4 grades of basic slag showed that the 35-38 per cent grade 

 gave the best results w^hen the 4 grades were used in equal quantities. 



Field experiments at Lauchstadt, AV. Schj^eiukwino kt al. {Landir. Jalirb.. 

 .Uj (1007), No. //, piK 569-67(>, 7.W-7.'/,'?, pis. 5).— The sixth report of the station, 

 presenting the results secured in 1904 to 190G, inclusive. Earlier results have 

 been previously noted (E. S. R., 10, p. 454). Fertilizer and variety tests are 

 reported and the x'esults are given in tables, togetlier with detailed discussions. 



It was observed that on the station soil a dry year following either a normal 

 ■or a wet season will produce a high yield of grain with a low yield of straw, 

 provided the scanty precipitation is properly distributed. Rotatoes also gave 

 good yields under these conditions, but beets in continued dry weather were a 

 complete failure. In dry seasons early varieties gave higher yields than late 

 varieties, but this difference was not very marked among varieties of spring 

 barley. During seasons of low rainfall (ironing winter barley, an early 

 variety, gave considerably higher yields than Bestehorn Uiant, a late maturing 

 sort, and the early ri])ening I^igowo oats produced more grain than the late 

 ripening Strube. Hungarian and American varieties of wheat gave much 

 better returns than the squarehead sorts. Late ripening and starchy varieties 

 of potatoes were less ])roductive than earlier varieties. 



With reference to quality it is stated that the small yields of grains secured 

 in dry years are richer in protein, and that root crops contain more carbo- 

 hydrates and protein than the larger yields secured in moist seasons. Lodged 

 grain in wet years is an exception to this rule, as this is often high in protein 

 in connection with heavy yields. Attention is called to the fact that no great 

 difference in sugar content in the sugar beet occurs as a result of wet and dry 

 seasons, and that a high protein content in brewing barley is undesirable. 



To reduce the loss of nitrogen in barnyard manure during storage it is ad- 

 vised to make a base 15 to 20 cm. high of older manure in a thorough state of 

 fei'menfation, upon which the fresh manure is spread as made. It is exi)lained 

 that carbon dioxid in large quantities is formed in the old manure, which is not 

 the case in fresh manure, and that this gas retains the ammonia, As the lower 

 strata of the fresh manure deposited grow older these begin to form their own 

 carbon dioxid. By this method the losses of nitrogen in manure under coA-er 

 were reduced from 30.31 to 16.94 per cent. The use of gyi>sum in quantities 



