740 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



poor sandy soil. A cooperative fertilizer experiment with oats sown in 

 February failed on account of dry weather. The plats receiving kainit 

 offered the greatest resistance to the drought and produced the largest 

 yields. 



Equal quantities of seed oats by weight were sown on 2 plats of poor 

 sandy soil. The seed lor 1 plat had been scalded in water at 130 to 

 135° F. for 10 minutes. The untreated seed yielded 13.1 bu. and the 

 treated seed 14.2 bu. per acre. The heads on both plats were counted 

 and it was found that on the plat with untreated seed 5.9 per cent of 

 the heads were destroyed by smut and no smut was found on the other 

 plat. Complete directions are given for the Jeusen or hot-water treat- 

 ment for the prevention of smut. 



The influence of depth of planting on growth and productiveness 

 of potatoes, E. S. Goff ( Wisconsin Sta. Rpt. 1897, pp. 306, 307). — An 

 experiment was conducted to determine the influence of depth of plant- 

 ing on productiveness, size, and manner of growth of potatoes. Twenty- 

 five hills of Burbank potatoes were planted May 22, at different depths. 

 The seed tubers were planted whole, one in a place, 2 ft. apart, in rows 

 3£ ft. apart. Ordinary cultivation was given, and the crop was har- 

 vested October 13 to 14. The results obtained are given in the fol- 

 lowing table : 



Results of planting potatoes at different depths. 



Growing rye after potatoes, M. Fischer {Finding's Landw. Ztg., 

 47 (1898), No. 18, pp. 702-700).— -It is stated that rye grown after 

 potatoes frequently gives an unsatisfactory yield, which is believed to 

 be due to the fact that a hoed crop like potatoes leaves the soil too loose 

 for the rye plant. To ascertain whether this belief is correct rye was 

 grown on 10 plats on which fertilizer experiments with potatoes had 

 been made the previous year. Two of these plats were fertilized with 

 nitrate of soda, 2 with lime, 3 with barnyard manure, 1 with Thomas 

 slag, and 2 receiving no fertilizer. The best yields were obtained from 

 the plats which were fertilized with nitrate of soda. From the results 

 obtained it is concluded that the mechanical condition of the soil is not 

 the direct cause of tne unsatisfactory yields of rye when grown after 

 potatoes, but that the potato, especially wheu it remains in a growing 

 condition nearly to the time of harvesting, uses most of the available 

 nitrogen and leaves an insufficient supply to enable the rye to make a 

 good growth. 



