1918.] FIELD CROPS. 741 



acre for varieties of the Kherson type and of 12 pk. for those of the Swedish 

 Select type. Somewhat lower rates are deemed best for central and western 

 Nebraska because of the less favorable moisture conditions. 



Calculated in pounds per acre and allowing 30 per cent for hulls in oats, the 

 relative grain yields of oats, corn, and winter and spring wheat for an eight- 

 year period, 1909 to 1916, were 1,165, 2,576, 2,160, and 1,140 lbs., respectively. 

 Assuming 30 per cent for hulls in oats and 15 per cent for hulls in barley, aver- 

 age yields of grain were obtained for a four-year period, 1907 to 1910, amount- 

 ing to 1,147 lbs. per acre for Kherson oats, 1,750 for Oderbrucker spring barley, 

 1,195 for Tennessee winter barley, and 2,472 f®r Turkey Red winter wheat. 

 Barley is deemed to be the best spring crop to substitute for oats. 



Increased soil fertility, careful seed-bed preparation, early seeding, and treat- 

 ment for smut are deemed important factors in successful oats production. 



Th.e deep-water paddy of Orissa, E. L. Rout {Agr. Jour. Bihar and Orissa 

 [India], 4 {1916), pp. 66-69, pi. 1; abs. in Nature [London], 99 (1917), No. 

 2Jf90. p. 411). — Eight rice varieties adapted to growth in deep water (from 6 

 to 12 ft.) are briefly described and illustrated. 



Soy beans, N. Schmitz (Pcnn. State Col. Ext. Circ. 59 (1917), pp. 16, figs. 

 4). — Soy-bean growing in Pennsylvania for forage and seed production is out- 

 lined and the use of ^oj beans as human food briefly discussed. 



Selection experiments with Deli tobacco, J. A. Honing (Meded. Deli-Proef- 

 stat. Medan, 10 {1917), No. 5, pp. 79-128). — ^Extensive selection experiments 

 with tobacco at several experimental centers are reported in detail. 



The comparative anatomy of wheat, Triticum albidum and T. erythros- 

 permum, M. Komar {Zhur. Opytn. Agron. {Jour. Agr. Expt.), 17 {1916), No. 5, 

 pp. 370-399, figs. 16). — The author arrived at the following conclusions: 



In T. crythrospennum the size of the epidermal cells which form the chloro- 

 phyll layer and integument was greater on the ventral side than on the 

 lateral and dorsal sides. 



Although T. albidum is of western origin, the prolonged culture (six years) 

 and consequent adaptation to the conditions of the region made it difficult to 

 discern in the anatomical structure of the grain the characteristics which 

 would indicate its origin. Consequently, differences in structure were con- 

 sidered due to individual peculiarities of the plants which were all produced 

 under constant climatic .and soil conditions. 



Measurements of the epiderm and of the chlorophyll layer did not show 

 any significant difference between the two wheats, but in T. erythrospermum 

 the exterior integument was found to be thicker, with the pigment more 

 intense and with the cells larger. Moreover, very large stomata were observed 

 which may indicate to a certain degree that more intense physiological phe- 

 nomena took place in the life of the plant. A possible relationship was dis- 

 covered between the aleurone cells, which were larger in T. erythrospermum, 

 and an increased quantity of the fats of the albuminoid bodies as shown by 

 microchemical reactions (o.smic acid, eosin, Millon's reaction, picric acid, and 

 nitric acid). 



The pigment layer in the two wheats was composed of four layers of cells, 

 the second from the outside being wholly colored. Two layers of cells lay 

 below this pigmented layer, but their origin has not yet been definitely 

 established. 



The improvement of wheat [in Argentina], G. O. Backhouse {Min. Agr. 

 Nac. [Buenos Aires], Dir. Gen. Ensenanza e Invest. Agr. [Pub.] No. 73 {1917), 

 pp. 72, figs. 17). — This is a general discussion of wheat improvement in Ar- 

 gentina through selection and variety testing in different sections of the 

 country. A report of the work for 1915-16 is included. 



