FIELD CROPS. 539 



also lower in sugar content than beets grown on plats used for sugar 

 beets the year before. 



Fertiliser experiments on meadows (pp. 151-155). — A swampy meadow 

 was drained and divided into 5 plats, 1 of which was left unfertilized, 

 while 2 were fertilized with kainit and 2 with kainit and ground 

 Thomas slag. No effect of the application was noticeable during the 

 first year. It was found that on the plat which had received potash 

 and phosphoric acid there was a greater admixture of leguminous 

 plants, and consequently the protein conteut of the hay was increased. 



A fertilizer experiment with alfalfa (pp. 155-157). — A field on which 

 alfalfa had been grown for four years in succession was divided into 

 three equal plats. One plat was left unfertilized, one received an 

 application of 535 lbs. per acre of ground Thomas slag, and the other 

 an application of 892 lbs. per acre of kainit and 535 lbs. of ground 

 Thomas slag. The results do not show that the fertilization was very 

 effective, but the following year the effect of the fertilizers was shown 

 in the growing crop, the results of which will be reported later. 



Experiments with legumes as catch crops on clay soils (pp. 157-163). — 

 A barley field, after the crop had been removed, was divided into plats 

 and sown with C different mixtures of legumes. The seed on some of 

 the plats was inoculated with Mtragm. 



The mixtures of beans, peas, and vetch and beans, and sand vetch 

 and vetch made a good growth. The mixtures containing lupines 

 made a less satisfactory growth, and the mixture of lupines, Victoria 

 peas, and Lathyrus made a very poor growth. On the aSTitragin plats 

 many well- developed plants of lupine with normal nodule formations 

 on the roots were found, but on the uninoculated plats normal 

 plants of lupines witli well-developed nodules were very few. The 

 largest amount of nitrogen gathered per acre was by the mixture of 

 beans, Victoria peas, and vetch, 137.76 lbs., which is equal to the 

 amount contained in 892 lbs. of nitrate of soda, and the amount of 

 organic matter produced equaled the amount furnished in 25.35 tons 

 of stable manure. The results in 5 cases are but slightly in favor of 

 inoculation with Nitragin, while in one case the inoculation produced 

 no effect whatever. An oat crop grown after legumes made a remark- 

 able growth, but the results have uot yet been reported. 



Methods of curing clover and alfalfa (pp. 163-170). — The report of 

 this work has been abstracted from another source (E. S. E., 9, p. 439). 



Influence of different crops on moisture content of the soil (pp. 

 170-174). — An experiment was conducted to ascertain the influence of 

 different crops on the moisture content of the soil. The moisture con- 

 tent of fields of sugar beets, peas, winter wheat, potato, and oats was 

 determined twice per week throughout the season from May 21. Sugar 

 beets and potatoes lowered the moisture content comparatively little 

 during the early part of the season, while with winter wheat and oats 

 there was a much greater decrease iu the percentage of moisture. 



