636 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol. 38 



in stimulating production in districts of low average fertility, together with the 

 selection of suitable mixtures of grasses and clovers for seeding the temporary 

 leys. It is pointed out that the possibility of preparing grass land for rotation 

 during the late spring and summer and in adverse winter weather allows con- 

 siderable scope for the employment of motor tractors over a greatly extended 

 period of the year aside from the plowing for fall wheat. 



Grain production in Nevada, C. S. Knight {Nevada Bta. Bui. 89 {1917). 

 pp. 3-14. figs. 16). — Variety tests with wheat, barley, an'l oats and irrigation 

 experiments with wheat are reported for the period of 1914-1916, inclusive, and 

 cultural methods and field practices described as employed in the production of 

 wheat, and in less detail of barley and oats in Nevada. 



Of the wheat varieties tested. White Club, Bluestem, Marquis, Minnesota 

 Fife, and White Australia, with average yields of 58.3, 55.7, 51.6, 48.5, and 45.4 

 bu. per acre, respectively, are deemed to be especially well adapted to growth 

 under irrigation in the State. 



•The results of the irrigation experiments, embracing a comparison of 3- and 7- 

 inch applications of water at the 5-leaf, boot, bloom, milk, and dough stages, 

 respectively, and of the omission of one and two irrigations are held to indi- 

 cate that in every case the 7-inch applications were superior to the 3-inch. 

 The avera'ge yield of the 7-inch applications was 24.5 per cent greater than 

 that for the 3-inch applications where one irrigation was omitted, 11.5 per cent 

 greater where two irrigations were omitted, and 9.9 per cent where no irriga- 

 tions were omitted. The highest average yield, 34.9 bu. per acre, was obtained 

 from 7-inch applications where one irrigation was omitted in the 5-leaf stage. 

 The lowest yields with both 3- and 7-inch applications were obtained when irri- 

 gations were omitted at either the boot or bloom stages. The most critical period 

 in the irrigation of wheat is deemed to be betv/een the boot and milk stages 

 of development. 



In tests of barley varieties New Zealand produced the highest average yield, 

 80 bu. per acre, for the two years 1915 and 1916, while Montana Blue Ribbon 

 was highest for the 3-year period of 1914-1916, with 73 bu. per acre. The 

 results of these tests are held to favor the 2-rowed varieties of barley. 



Of the oat varieties tested Early Mountain, with an average yield of 81.75 bu. 

 per acre for the 2 years of 1915 and 1916, was the only variety not seriously 

 affected by shattering of the seed due to blasting of the panicles before the 

 plants had matured. Practically 50 per cent of the grain shattered before har- 

 vest in most of the varieties tested. 



Variety tests with wheat and barley were conducted during 1915 and 1916 

 in cooperation with the U. S. Department of Agriculture on the experiment farm 

 at Fallon. Little Club, with an average yield of 48.9 bu. per acre, was the 

 highest yielding wheat variety, and Coast, with an average yield of 39.6 bu., 

 the highest yielding barley variety. 



[Hybridization studies with spelt and wheat], H. M. Gmelin {Cultura, 

 29 {1911), No. 345, pp. IJfO-lSS, p?s. 2; abs. in Internat. Inst. Agr. [Rome}, 

 Internat. Rev. Scl. and Pract. Agr., 8 {1917), No. 9, pp. 1236-1239).— The author 

 reports and describes crosses of red beardless spelt with velvet chaff Essex 

 wheat, and presents considerable tabulated data relative to the gametic com- 

 position of the Fi generation. 



Silage investigations, C. H. Eckles and L. W. Wing {Missouri Sta. Bui. 

 151 {1917), pp. 36, 37).— Results of trials covering a period of four years are 

 held to indicate that excellent silage may be made from any of several legumes 

 provided the material contains approximately 40 per cent dry matter when put 

 into the silo. Legumes cut for hay and containing about 25 per cent dry matter 

 can be raised to 40 per cent by allowing the material to dry in the sun for 



