1917] FIELD CROPS. 337 



as well as to farmers of the Northern and Central States and the manufacturers 

 of soy-bean food products. Soy-bean production in Mauchuria, Japan, Europe, 

 and the United States is discussed in turn, and statistics presented relative to 

 the quantity and value of the exports and imports of the soy bean and its 

 products. The methods of oil extraction are described. Of the two methods 

 commonly used in the United States, the hydraulic and the expeller processes, 

 the latter is the more efficient and cheaper. The uses of soy-bean meal as 

 human food and as stock feeds are discussed and comparative analyses given 

 of soy-bean meal and other important oil meals. The uses of soy-bean oil in 

 various commercial pi'ocesses and for human consumption are also discussed. 



Analyses of over 500 varieties of soy beans grown at Arlington, Va., show 

 that considerable variation exists, the oil ranging from 11.8 to 22.5 per cent 

 and the protein from 31 to 46.9 per cent. The yellow-seeded varieties are 

 deemed most suitable for oil and meal production, and the Mammoth Yellow 

 variety is most generally grown in the South for oil production. Environment 

 appears to be a potent factor in the percentage of oil, wide variations being 

 found in the same variety grown in different localities. Analyses of varieties 

 reported from various sections of the United States indicate that a higher per- 

 centage of oil is obtained from the same variety produced by southern-grown 

 seed. Similar results are said to have been obtained in Manchuria. Consid- 

 erable variation in the percentage of oil was also noted in individual plant 

 selections at Arlington, Va., indicating that improvement may possibly be se- 

 cured by breeding. 



The possibilities of developing a manufacturing industry with American-grown 

 soy beans, especially in regions infested with the cotton-boll weevil, or subject 

 to the danger of infestation in the future, are discussed. 



Tobacco growing in the Connecticut River Valley, L. R. Smith {Agr. of 

 Mass., 63 {1915), pp. 266-279, pis. 4). — Historical notes on tobacco growing in 

 the Connecticut River Valley and general directions for the culture of the crop 

 in that section are given. The cost of raising one acre of tobacco is estimated at 

 from $174 to $204, and it is stated that the cost of shade-grown tobacco is about 

 45 cts. per pound. 



Improvement of Ghirka Spring wheat in yield and quality, J. A. Clark 

 {U. S. Dept. Agr. Bui. 450 (1916), pp. 19, figs. 7).— Among the Russian wheats 

 imported for trial in the dry portions of the Great Plains area, Ghirka Spring 

 wheat has proved to be productive and drought-resistant but low in quality 

 when compared with the standard wheats for that region. The object of these 

 experiments, therefore, was to improve the yield and quality of Ghirka Spring 

 wheat. 



A brief history and description of the wheat is given. The experiments were 

 conducted with only one of the Department introductions, Ghirka Spring (C. I. 

 No. 1517) from Grodno Province in Russian Poland. The experimental data 

 include tests of yield, quality, and improvement at several points in South 

 Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana, as well as milling and baking tests con- 

 ducted at the North Dakota Experiment Station. Much of the data is reported 

 in tabular form and discussed. 



The general conclusions drawn from the experiments are as follows : Ghirka 

 Spring wheat is a valuable drought-resistant variety, but is susceptible to rust 

 in moist seasons and in humid areas. It yields on an average more than the 

 Rysting Fife and Haynes Bluestem common wheats, but less than the Kubanka 

 durum wheat. The quality of Ghirka, however, is inferior to that of all the 

 three standard wheats named. Pure line selections numbers 4, 5, and 66 have 

 proved superior to the other selections and to the original unselected mass va- 

 riety, and compare favorably with the standard spring wheats of the Great 



