19181 



EXPERIMENT STATION EECOED. 



333 



FIELD CROPS. 



[Keport of the agronomy department, Montana Experiment Station], A. 

 Atkinson (Montana Sta. Rpt. 1916, pp. 165-170).— This reports the results of 

 variety tests with winter and spring wheat, oats, barley, annual hay and pas- 

 ture crops, and root crops ; cultural tests witli peas ; a comparison of continu- 

 ous and alternate cropping on dry land ; and a comparison of wheat alternating 

 with bare fallow with wheat alternating with corn. 



Kharkov winter wheat, with an average yield of 35.7 bu. per acre, has given 

 the best results on dry land. Among the spring wheat varieties grown under 

 dry-land conditions Pelissier has given the highest yield for a 7-year period, 

 averaging 27.2 bu. per acre. Ghirka and Fife, good milling varieties, averaged 

 23.7 and 23.1 bu. per acre, respectively, for the same period, while Marquis 

 gave a 3-year average yield of 33.1 bu. per acre and is deemed one of the best 

 varieties for dry land. Under irrigation the highest yielding spring wheat was 

 Stanley, with a 7-year average yield of 68.5 bu. per acre, but it possessed poor 

 milling quality. Of the milling varieties, Scotch Fife and Marquis have given 

 average yields of 63.3 and 52.4 bu. per acre, respectively. Purple Durum and 

 Gharnovka. macaroni varieties, have averaged 65.3 and 62.6 bu. per acre, 

 respectively, under irrigation. 



The leading oat varieties under irrigation included No. 72, with an average 

 yield of 119.4 bu. per acre, Myrick, with 114.9 bu., Silver Mine, with 113.9 bu., No. 

 10624, with 110.1 bu., and Banner, with 109.6 bu., all outyielding Swedish Select, 

 the prevailing variety grown in the State. On dry land Sixty Day has given the 

 highest average yield, 62.4 bu. per acre, wliile Swedish Select averaged 46.5 bu. 



Among barley varieties grown under irrigation. New Zealand was first with 

 an 8-year average yield of 86.1 bu. and Guy Mayle second with 67.8 bu. per 

 acre. Oderbrucker has averaged 86.5 bu. for a 4-year period. White Smyrna, 

 with a 5-year average yield of 52.9 bu. per acre, was first of the barley varieties 

 grown on dry land. 



Annual hay crops grown under irrigation included the following, with their 

 respective yields of cured hay : Foxtail millet, 4.3 tons ; Sudan grass, 3.8 tons ; 

 billion-dollar grass, 5.3 tons ; vetch, 4.73 tons ; and Johnson grass, 1.6 tons. 

 Promising pasture crops tested under irrigation, with their yields in green 

 weight per acre, were Dwarf Essex rape, which averaged 26 tons, and Thousand- 

 Headed kale, which averaged 29.5 tons. 



Root crops grown under irrigation for the past 3 years gave the following aver- 

 age acre yields: Mammoth Long Red mangles, 37.6 tons; Yellow Globe mangles, 

 30.1 tons; Giant Feed half-sugar beets, 19.7 tons; sugar beets, 13.5 tons; field 

 carrots, 16.4 tons; field turnips, 20.5 tons; and Monarch rutabagas, 16.3 tons. 



In a comparison of continuous and alternate cropping on dry laud the follow- 

 ing average results have been secured over a 6-year period : 



Average yields obtained from continuous and alternate cropping on dry land 



for a 6-year period. 



Crop. 



Yield per acre. 



Grown 

 continuously 



Alternate 



crop and 



fallow. 



Alternate 



crop and 



fallo,w. 



Manure 



applied to the 



fallow. 



Fall wheat. . . 

 Spring wheat 



Oats 



Barley 



Bushels. 

 28.72 

 23.11 

 55.69 

 35.68 



Bushels. 

 46.78 

 37. 83 

 71.76 

 49.44 



Bushels. 



47.96 

 39.55 

 71.77 

 49.94 



