19171 FIELD CROPS. 831 



B\& Noir and Kubanka, durum wheats, by 3.5 bu. for the period 1913-1915. 

 The average yield of the highest yielding common wheat exceeded that of the 

 highest yielding durum wheat by 7.7 bu. per acre for the same period. 



The spring wheat varieties Pacific Bluestera, Little Club, Early Baart, Karun, 

 Koola, and Talimka, which have given the best average results, are described 

 and discussed. 



Data are given on the chemical analysis of the grain and flour of several 

 of the spring wheat varieties tested, together with milling and baking tests 

 conducted by the Plant Chemical Laboratory of the Bureau of Chemistry. All 

 the varieties appear to be equal to and most of them superior to Pacific Bluestem. 



Date- and rate-of-seeding tests with Pacific Bluestem indicate that seedings of 

 nbout 5 pk. per acre as early in the spring as possible give the best results. For 

 late seeding, 3 pk. per acre gave the highest yields. The average increase in 

 yield from early seeding for a 4-year period was 6.2 bu. per acre. 



Of the spring oat varieties tested, the early varieties such as Kherson and 

 Sixty Day gave the best results, although Siberian, a midseason variety, has 

 yielded practically as high as early varieties. The Kherson, Sixty Day, Sibe- 

 rian, and Canadian varieties are described and discussed. 



Forty-three varieties of spring barley have been tested and 5-year average 

 yields obtained for 13 varieties. Mariout (G. I. No. 261), a 6-rowed form, gave 

 the highest average yield of 34.3 bu. per acre for the 5-year period. The 2-rowed 

 forms White Smyrna and Hannchen gave average yields of 33 and 32.2 bu. per 

 acre, respectively, for the 6-year period. The leading spring barley varieties 

 are briefly described. 



Spring emmer has not proved so drought resistant as spring wheat, oats, and 

 spring barley. The average yield of one variety (C. I. No. 1524) for the 5-year 

 period was 21.8 bu. (32 lbs. per bu.) per acre, or less than half the weight 

 obtained with Kherson oats or Mariout barley for the same period. 



Variety tests of grain sorghums included Manchu and White kaoliang, milo 

 maize feterita (Sudan durra), and Kafir corn. All but Manchu kaoliang have 

 been discarded as unsatisfactory. 



Two varieties of broom corn have been tested and have given fair seed yields, 

 but the brush is of poor quality. 



The 5-year average acre yield in pounds of the highest yielding varieties of 

 the three leading cereals was as follows : Wheat. 1,362 lbs. ; oats, 1,402 lbs. ; and 

 barley, 1,646 lbs. Based on the 10-year (1905-1914) average farm price of these 

 cereals in Oregon, the acre value of wheat would be $18.39, of oats $19.35, and 

 of barley $20.35, 



Seeding winter grains in furrows to prevent winterkilling, S. C. Saxmon 

 (Jour. Amer. Soc. Agron., 8 (1916), No. 3, pp. 176-188, pis. 2, figs. 2). — This 

 paper, from the Kansas Experiment Station, discusses numerous experiments 

 with seeding winter grains in furrows to prevent loss through winter injury. 

 While most of the experiments were conducted in Kansas, several investigations 

 outside of that State are cited and numerous references made to the literature 

 on the subject. The general conclusions drawn are as follows : 



In general, grain sown with a drill survives the winter better than when sown 

 broadcast. Seeding in furrows tends to prevent winterkilling and damage from 

 blowing In dry areas. The furrows catch and retain snow, modify the tempera- 

 ture, protect the plants from wind, and probably reduce injury due to heaving. 

 Winter oats sown in furrows survived 87.5 per cent in one season as compared 

 with 7^ per cent when sown in the ordinary way, and winter barley survived 

 87 per cent while that sown with the disk drill was entirely killed. Wheat did 

 not show a marked advantage from seeding in furrows, (1) because wheat sel- 



