FIELD CROPS. 741 



FIELD CROPS. 



Report of the agriculturist, J. EL Siiepperd [North Dakota sin. 

 Ept. 1896, pp. 33-41, 18-51). — The varieties of wheat tested at the sta- 

 tion were obtained chiefly from the Northwest, but a number of them 

 came originally from Russia. The sorts which have given the best 

 results in yield and grade for 5 years are Experiment Station Fife, 774 

 Glyndon. and Red Fife. 



Among the 30 varieties of oats, Black Beauty, Tartarian, Race Horse, 

 Giant Yellow, and Archangel have given the best average yield in the 

 variety test for 4 years. 



Of 15 varieties of barle3 T grown for 4 years, Manshury, Highland 

 Scotch, Highland Chief, Champion of Vermont, and Chevalier produced 

 the best average yields. 



Mercer Flint and Minnesota Flint corn have ripened at the station for 

 3 years in succession and produced on an average for 2 years 3 7 \ and 

 34^ bu. per acre, respectively. Flint corn is regarded as valuable for 

 feed as dent corn. " The flint varieties usually ripen earlier and seem 

 better adapted to northern climatic conditions than dent varieties." 



Dwarf Essex Rape has produced good crops for the past 4 years. 



Austrian brome grass (Bromus inermis) has been tried at the station 

 and in several parts of the State and is the only new variety of grass 

 which promises to be of particular value. Alsike and mammoth and 

 red clovers yielded in 1896, 1,629, 2,270, and 2,275 lbs. of cured hay per 

 acre, respectively. 



The rotation of wheat with spring rye, barley, and oats showed little 

 difference in the following wheat crops from those where wheat followed 

 wheat continuously. Wheat grown after cultivated crops gave a 

 greater percentage increase in yield over wheat grown continuously 

 than wheat after summer fallowing, millet, timothy and clover, flax, field 

 peas, or green manuring with peas and millet. A few plats were manured 

 and planted to corn and the following season to wheat. A decided in- 

 crease in yield of wheat resulted from the manure. A table showing 

 the plan of the rotation experiments and the results is appended. 



Influence of various amounts of nitrogen on the development 

 of barley, D. N. Pryanishnikov and S. M. Kouznezov (Izv. Mos- 

 cow Selskokhoz. Inst., 3 (1897), II, pp. 53-56). — The plants were grown 

 in pulverized white sandstone extracted with strong hydrochloric acid. 

 A small amount of chalk was added to counteract any acid. The 

 cylinders used were of glass and contained 3,800 gm. of sand. On the 

 bottom of the cylinder a layer of broken glass was placed, into which 

 was inserted a glass tube for watering. The humidity maintained was 

 GO per cent by weight of the maximum capacity of the sand for water, 

 which corresponded to 570 gm. of water per pot. The following amounts 

 of fertilizing materials were supplied as recommended by Hellriegel: 

 0.5168 gm. monopotassium phosphate, 0.2850 gm. muriate of potash, 

 0.1674 gm. magnesium sulphate, and 1.550 gm. calcium sulphate; and 

 in addition nitrate of soda, which replaced the calcium nitrate usually 



