36 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol. 36 



An investigation of varieties of cereal and forage crops and their im- 

 provement, C. S. Knight (Nevada Sta. Rpt. 1915 pp. 28-32 ) .—Notes are given 

 on the growth and yield of varieties of alfalfa, potatoes, beets, field peas, corn, 

 wheat, oats, barley, and millets. 



The cultural value and identification of Spanish alfalfa, G. Gentneb 

 (Prakt. Bl. Pflanzenbau u. Schuts, n. ser., 13 (1915), No. 10, pp. 136-139) .—Gora- 

 parative tests of different kinds of alfalfa are reported, indicating that in 

 general Spanish alfalfa grown in Germany is less productive than that grown 

 from domestic and other seed sources. Turkestan alfalfa also ranked low in 

 yield, standing next to the Spanish. The impurities found in the Spanish 

 alfalfa seed, including inert material and weed seeds, are enumerated as a 

 means of its identification. 



Composition of the maize plant. J. W. Ikce {North Dakota Sta. Bui. Ill 

 {1916), pp. 3-32, figs. 7). — A study was made in 1914 and 1915 to determine the 

 yield of mineral matter and organic constituents of the maize plant under 

 North Dakota conditions, and to ascertain the best stage of cutting corn for 

 silage. Analyses were made when the plants were in tassel, when the corn was 

 in the milk, in the dough, when glazed, and when fully ripe. In 1914 the work 

 was conducted at the main station and the substations at Dickinson, Edgeley, 

 and Williston, while in 1915 it was pursued only at the main station. At Dick- 

 inson and Williston, Northwestern; at Edgeley, Minnesota No. 23; and at the 

 main station, Mercer, were the varieties grown. The climatic conditions of tlie 

 seasons are described, the meteorological data ai-e presented by means of 

 graphs, and the analytical results are shown in tables. 



The composition of the corn at the different stages was compared with similar 

 data for corn grown in New York and Indiana. According to these figures 

 corn grown in North Dakta does not give as high yields of protein, fat, and 

 carbohydrates as corn grown in New York or Indiana and the increase of these 

 substances is not so rapid. It was found that the maximum yields for North 

 Dakota were practically reached at the glazed stage, even a loss of protein 

 being observed when the corn was ripe, while the data for the corn grown in 

 New York and Indiana indicated a steady increase in all the constituents up 

 to the maximum at the time of maturity. 



Analyses of agricultural yield. — I. The spacing experiment with Egyptian 

 cotton, 1912, W. L. Balls and F. S. Holton (Phil. Trans. Roy. Sac. London, 

 Ser. B, 206 {1916), No. 327, pp. 103-180, figs. 11).— The investigations reported 

 were entered upon to establish a statistical analysis of the yields of cotton in 

 terms of the stages of the plant's development. The studies dealt mainly with 

 the effects of spacing, the time of sowing, and the character of the season on 

 Egyptian cotton grown at Giza. The numerical data recorded during the culti- 

 vation of the crop are presented in detail in a series of tables and graphs, and 

 include records of daily flowering and weekly boiling for the 20 different spac- 

 ings compared and of boll weight, seed weight, and ginning outturn, together 

 with computed statistics of yield ratios. 



It is concluded from the results that the yield of cotton is primarily de- 

 pendent on the number of flowers formed. The normal extensions of the root 

 system of an isolated cotton plant was found capable of utilizing more than 2 

 square meters of soil surface of soil which is more than 2 meters deep. As the 

 plants in cultui-al practice have only 0.18 of a square meter, or less, each 

 allowed them, most of the phenomena of field crop physiology in the fruiting 

 season are regarded as traceable to the consequent jnterference of one root 

 system with another. The yield per unit area of the conventional spacing prac- 

 ticed in Egypt was determined as the maximum obtainable under the limitations 

 in field cultivation. 



