FIELD CROPS. 935 



influenced by a preceding leguminous crop. The grain crops produced better 

 yields when grown after Siiinfoin than when following alfalfa. The average 

 difference in favor of sainfoin in the yield of different crops was lir).4 kg. 

 per hectare. 



Permanent pastures: Their importance, establishment, and management, 

 with, special reference to intensive production, F. Falke (Die Daucrwciden, 

 Bedeuiung, Anldjjc inid lictricb dcr.^^clhrn untcr brsdinlcrcr Bcrucksiclitiguiig 

 intcnsirrr Wirtschaftsverhdltnissc. Hanover, German!/, 1907, pp. IX + 28.'f). — 

 This book devotes a chapter each to the general importance of pasturage, the 

 establishment of pastures, their management, and their associate and coopera- 

 tive ownership or control. 



The botanical and chemical composition of the herbage of pastures and 

 meadows, S. F. Armstrong {Jour. Agr. ScL, 2 {1901), l<!o. 3, pp. 283-304).— 

 Investigations were conducted which showed that on the best grazing lands in 

 the English midlands white clover and rye grass formed the greater part of the 

 herbage, while Ciifiosunis cristatus, Agrostis stolonifcra, and Poa trivialis are 

 the next most abundant species. On the inferior types of grass land in the same 

 region the herbage consisted very largely of A. vulgaris. Dactijlis glonierata 

 and Festuea ovina are sometimes abundant on the better meadows, and Holcus 

 lanatiis and Desclianipsia easpitosa on the poorer ones. 



The choicest grazing lands were found invariably associated with soils rich 

 in available phosphates. On suitable soils for permanent pasture poor herbage 

 was generally due to the lack of available phosphates or to the poor mechanical 

 condition of the soil. It was also shown that the herbage of the best grazing 

 lands may be twice as rich in nitrogen and phosphate as that of poor pasture, 

 and that this condition is apiiarently directly determined chiefly by the propor- 

 tion of white clover and indirectly by the percentage of available phosphates 

 in the soil. 



On new pastures from 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 individual plants were counted 

 per acre. On old pastures the number was not readily determined with ac- 

 curacy, but it is believed that it is much smaller than is usually supposed. 



Field experiments with farm crops, W. Saunders, J. H. Grisdale, W. T. 

 Macoun, F. T. Siiutt, C. E. Saunders, R. Robertson, N. Wolverton, A. Mackay, 

 and T. A. Sharpe {Canada Expt. Farms Rpts. 1006, pp. 5-45, S2-95, 128-133, 175, 

 176, 235-256, 277-292, 303-320, 337-357, 379-888, pis. -J).— Reports are presented 

 on the work with field crops at the Canada experimental farms in 1906. Most 

 of the lines of work discussed have been previously reported (E. S. R., IS, p. 

 129). 



Wheat. — Results of a fertilizer experiment with wheat in progress for 19 

 years show that in 1906, of the 21 plats differently treated the plat receiving 

 each year from 1S8S to 1897 6 tons of barnyard manure, partly rotted and actively 

 fermenting, mixed with 500 lbs. of untreated and finely ground mineral phosphate 

 and allowed to heat several days before using, in 189S 500 lbs. of Thomas 

 phosphate in place of the mineral phosphate, no fertilizers from 1899 to 1905, 

 and with the same aijplication in 1906 as in 1898, stood first in yield with 28 bu. 

 20 lbs. per acre. The plat receiving 12 tons of well-rotted barnyard manure in 

 1888, 15 tons per acre each year thereafter to 1898 inclusive, no manure 

 from 1899 to 1905, and 15 tons per acre in 1905-6 ranked second with a yield 

 of 23 bu. 50 lbs. per acre. This plat also stood second in the average yield per 

 acre for 19 years with 22 bu. 36 lbs. The plat treated exactly like the one just 

 mentioned, but receiving fresh manure instead of well-rotted, stood first in aver- 

 age yield for the 19 years with 22 bu. 4(! lbs. i)er acre. The plats unmanured 

 from the beginning gave an average yield of about 11 bu. per acre for the 19 

 years. 



