FIELD CROPS. 345 



A study ?^iniilar to the oiu' witli wheat was made with rorn. The cdiK Int^ions 

 drawn from the results were that corn differs materially from wheat, since "it main- 

 tains about the same percentage of albuminoids under all circumstances and is not 

 affected by its surroundings in this respect." Corn is considered as a crop tending 

 more than any other to maintain a uniform composition and to vary less under 

 environment. 



A special investigation in this same line in collaboration with the Colorado, Cali- 

 fornia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, and New York experiment stations 

 is reported. The tabulated results of analyses of the original seed of the first crop of 

 wlieat grown show that the protein content of wheat is extremely sensitive to envi- 

 ronment of a meteorological nature; that the starch content is also sensitive, but in 

 an inverse ratio, and that the ash next to the protein shows a tendency to vary with 

 environment. The soil and the fertilizer applications are considered the most i)otent 

 factors in the variation of the ash content. 



In a discussion of the effect of season and climate upon the wheat grain, the 

 influence of the period of growth and the temperature are pointed out. "The 

 sliorter the period of growth and the cooler the climate, the larger the content of 

 jirotein and the smaller the content of starch, and vice versa. . . . The general 

 deduction which can be made ... is to hasten the period of growth as much as 

 possiljle where a high content of protein is desired." The results of foreign experi- 

 ments given in this connection indicate that the elaboration of starch is arrested by 

 the rapid desiccation of the plant. 



The work with sugar beets treated in this article has been noted from previnns 

 puliHcations of the Bureau of Chemistry and the experiment stations. 



The influence of fertilization on the number and depth of the roots of dif- 

 ferent plants, C. vox Seelhokst {Jonr. Landv., 50 {1902), Xo. 1, pp. 91-104). — 

 Rye, sjjring and winter wheat, barley, peas, beans, potatoes, and field beets were 

 given varying quantities of a complete fertilizer application and the number of 

 fibrous roots for each 25 cm. to a depth of 150 cm. ascertained. The figures are 

 given in a table, and the results with the different plants are compared. The author 

 cautions against the general application of the results, because the soil upon which 

 these tests were made is absolutely uniform in substance and quality to more than 

 an ordinary depth. The results indicate in general that a good supply of plant food 

 tends to produce a strong, well-developed root system, with roots growing to greater 

 depths than when the supply of plant food is limited. For this reason the author 

 believes that heavily fertilized crops are lietter able to withstand drought than those 

 having received but light applications. 



Observations on the relation of different crops to the -water content of the 

 soil, C. vox Seelhorst {.Tour. Landir., 50 {1903), No. 2, pp. 151-164)- — Kve, wlieat, 

 potatoes, clover, peas, oats and peas, and turnips were grown on plats and the mois- 

 ture content of each plat determined on a series of dates. The data for the entire 

 experiment are jiresented in tabular form. 



The variation in the moisture content of the soil as here observed is attributed to 

 the different moisture requirements of the several crops at various stages of their 

 ilevelopment, to the varying capacity of w-ater absorption by the soil, and the fluctu- 

 ating rate of evaporation due to the condition of the atmosphere and the density of 

 the foliage of the plants grown. The author discusses the results observed in each 

 case. It was found that rye drew less moisture from the soil than wheat, and this 

 fact is considered of value in growing crops for green manuring innnediately after the 

 rye has been harvested. The moisture content of the clover plat was comi)aratively 

 quite low, indicating that a crop following clover is at a disadvantage so far as soil 

 moisture is concerned. The jiotato crop left the soil in a relatively moist condition. 

 I'cas, owing to the small quantity of water drawn from the soil, are considered a 

 suitable crop to be followed 1)y winter cereals. Oats, on the other hand, were found 



