FIELD CROPS. 1135 



One-half acre or less of each of the following varieties of cacti were planted 

 in March, 1907: Opuntia arhuscula, 0. cngcJmanni, O. phwacantha, fulgida, 

 O. mamiUata, and O. spinosior. The cuttings this j'ear were about double the 

 size of those planted in past years, and generally of older growth. The method 

 of i»lantlng was the same as that used last year, but the cutting was set deeper 

 in the groimd. Growth apparently began soon after planting and continued 

 throughout a favorable summer. Many of the plants grew from 12 to IS in. 

 in height and produced a good number of lobes. December 31, 1007, these plants 

 averaged at least twice the size of those of corresponding plats set 1 year 

 earlier. Of a number of different species of saltbushes planted Atriplex aemi- 

 haccata was the only one making a fair growth. On June 28, 1000, a patch 

 of rayless golden rod {Isncnma hartwegi) was burned over and all the plants, 

 even those only partly charred, were killed outright, as were also such other 

 shrubs as the catclaw, creosote bush, Brigham tea, mesquite, and Zizyphus. 

 Cutting the rayless golden rod about 2 in. above ground destroyed about 50 per 

 cent of the plants, but cutting somewhat below the surface of the ground de- 

 stroyed all. 



Cultivation of small grains, E. G. Montgomery {Nehraska ^ta. Bui. lOJi, 

 pp. ]-}!), fig. /).- — I'lie average of 7 years' work shows that where drilled oats 

 were cultivated in comparison with uncultivated drilled oats there was an 

 increase in yield of 4.8 bu. per acre. The cultivation consisted usually of 1 to 3 

 harrowings given about 4 to 6 weeks after sowing. During 4 years drilled oats 

 gave an average increase of 5.3 bu. per acre when cultivated, while broadcast 

 oats decreased in yield 1.9 bu. per acre. It was thought that in broadcast oats 

 a larger number of plants were either destroyed or injured by the cultivation 

 than was the case with the drilled oats. 



Cultivating winter wheat with the harrow or weeder did not increase the 

 yield. The greatest benefits in cultivating small grains were derived during 

 dry years, while in seasons of more than normal rainfall cultivation sometimes 

 decreased the yield. In a 4-year experiment with cultivating broadcasted wheat 

 there was an average loss of 3 bu. per acre, while where the wheat was 

 drilled the loss was only i bu. per acre. It was found that drills over 6 in. 

 apart were too wide apart except under exceedingly dry conditions when 12 

 in. drills served best. Rolling winter wheat in the spring gave an average 

 increase for 4 years of 5.1 bu. per acre. 



Kherson oats gave the best results when sown at the rate of 8 pk. per acre, 

 but this did not prove true of other varieties. The Kherson oat plant tillers 

 freely when sown thinly, but few tillers were formed when 12 or more pecks 

 lier acre were sown. 



Alfalfa or lucern. C. A. Zavitz (Ontario Dept. Agr. Bui. 165, pp. 1-'>). — 

 This bulletin contains a discussion of alfalfa culture and a review of the results 

 secured with alfalfa in the field and on experimental plats at the Ontario 

 Agricultin-al College for a series of years. As an average for 10 years, 21.(57 

 tons of green crop and 5.27 tons of hay were obtained. The average dates 

 of cutting were June 21, August 2, and September 21. In a comparison of 

 seed from different sources the greatest yield of cured hay per acre was pro- 

 duced by seed from northwestern Texas, but the yield of green crop was greatest 

 from Turkestan seed. A comparison of barnyard manure and hen manure for 

 alfalfa showed that the influence of the hen manure was quite marked at first, 

 l)Ut that the l)aniyard manure was more lasting. 



In making observations on the influence of alfalfa roots on the soil it was 

 observed that alfalfa sod is more difficult to j)low than the sod of clover, tim- 

 othy, fescue, or orchard grass, but that the inverted sod is in a looser and more 

 friable condition than the sod of these other crops. In growing alfalfa with 



