1918.] FIELD CROPS. 831 



4-year period of 1911 to 1914, inclusive, had an average annual rainfall of 

 20.32 in., 75 per cent of which fell during the growing season, April to Sep- 

 tember, inclusive. Data for three years indicate that the average date of the 

 last killing frost in the spring is April 8, and of the first killing frost in the 

 fall, November 1. The experimental work reported covers the period 1912 to 

 1914, inclusive. 



In variety tests with grain sorghums, the average yields of all varieties 

 tested amounted to 32.66 bu. for feterita, 30.25 bu. for Kafir corn, and 28.79 bu. 

 for milo maize. The dwarf varieties are deemed superior as indicated by 

 average yields for 1913 and 1914 of 40.3 bu. per acre for Dwarf milo, 36.9 bu. 

 for feterita, and 35.4 bu. for Dwarf Kafir. Spacing tests with these three crops 

 conducted during 1914 showed average yields ranging from 36 bu. per acre 

 for plants 6 to 7 in. apart in 36-in. rows to 57.4 bu. for spacings of 2 to 3 in. 

 Similar tests with Dwnrf milo in 1913 and 1914 resulted in average yields of 

 39.75 bu. for 3 to 4 in. spacings, 32.75 bu. for 5 to 6 in. spacings, and 2S.7 bu. 

 for 7 to 8 in. spacings. Feterita and milo maize grown alone in 3 and 6 ft. 

 rows and in pairs of 3-ft. rows with 6 ft. between pairs, as compared with 

 growing the crops with cowpeas sown in the interspaces, showed an average loss 

 of grain of 5.6 bu. per acre and an average gain in cowpea hay of 356 lbs. 

 per acre. It is concluded that the practice of mixed planting is not profitable 

 for early grain sorghums in this locality. 



Corn varieties grown on the substation in 1914 showed a variation in yield 

 of from 18.5 bu. for Brown County Yellow Dent to 54.6 bu. per acre for Mexican 

 June. The average yield of all grain sorghums tested for the period of 1912 

 to 1914, inclusive, amounted to 31.92 bu. per acre, as compared with 20.94 bu. 

 for Slexican June corn for the same period. 



In comparisons of Sudan grass and Tunis grass for forage, made in 1914, 

 Sudan grass outyielded the latter in every case, showing a total average 

 increase in yield of 0.85 ton per acre. Millet proved to be much inferior to 

 Sudan grass. Seeded in 36-in. rows at different rates of seeding, Sudan grass 

 produced yields of hay ranging from 3.9 tons for a seeding rate of 1.3 lbs. per 

 acre to 4.45 tons for a rate of 6.9 lbs. Seeded in close drills, it produced 2.36 

 tons of hay per acre, and in 36-in. rows 2.35 tons, while for the two years 1913 

 and 1914 the highest average yield, 3.85 tons per acre, was obtained from 

 plantings in 18-in. rows. In date-of-seeding tests the maximum yield for 



1913, 3,542 lbs. of hay, was secured from plantings made May 15, and for 



1914, 9,941 lbs., for plantings made April 10. Sudan grass grown in rows for 

 seed produced yields ranging from 294 to 910.5 lbs. per acre. 



Maximum yields of millet were obtained from seedings in close drills, and 

 amounted to 2,062.5 lbs. for White Proso in 1913 and 3,437.5 lbs. for Yellow 

 Proso in 1914. German millet seeded in 36-in. rows and in close drills produced 

 1.5 and 1.49 tons of hay per acre., respectively. Seeded in close drills it pro- 

 duced 2,983 lbs. of hay per acre during 1912 and 1914, as compared with a 

 yield of 4,855 lbs. for Sudan grass seeded in 36-in. rows. 



Variety tests with 14 saccharin sorghums conducted during 1914 resulted in 

 maximum yields of green forage of 43.780 lbs. per acre and of dry forage of 

 18,700 lbs. for Sumac. This variety was also highest in limited tests con- 

 ducted during the period of 1912 to 1914, inclusive, with an average yield 

 of 7,347 lbs. of dry forage per acre. Tests for seed production in 1914 resulted 

 in maximum yields of 69.87 and 68.64 bu. per acre for Planters and Sumac, 

 respectively. Sumac seeded in close drills at rates of 2 and 4 pk. per acre 

 showed average yields of 7.947 and 7.675 lbs. of forage per acre, respectively. 



Cowpeas and saccharin sorghums planted together in 36-in. rows and in close 

 drills produced average yields of 5,487 and 3,084 lbs. of forage per acre, re- 



