846 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



not at all suitable for this i)urpose on account of the large quantity of plant food 

 removed from the soil, and especially on account of the heavy withdrawal of soil 

 moisture. 



Progress in plant and animal breeding, W. M. Hays ( U. S. Dept. Agr. Year- 

 book 1901, 2)p- i^ 17-332, pis. 3, fig. 1). — After enumerating some of the most important 

 and striking achievements in plant and animal breeding and suggesting what the 

 purposes of breeding should be, the article describes the features of sugar beet, wheat, 

 and corn lireeding, and some of the methods of breeding used by farmers. Methods 

 of cooi>eration in this kind of work are outlined. 



The length of the growing season in North Dakota, E. F. Ladd, J. H. Shep- 

 PERD, and A. i\I. Tex Eyck {North Dakota Sta. Bui. 52, pp. /a5-/ii).— Tables show 

 the dates of the first killing fall and last killing spring frosts and the last spring and 

 first fall frosts for 7 years, together with the length of time required to mature field 

 crops as observed in a variety of experiments conducted at the station. A tempera- 

 ture of 26° F. is considered as a killing frost. The shortest time between killing 

 spring and fall frosts during 7 years was 121 days, the longest 155 days, and the aver- 

 age length of time 136 days. The average length of time between light frosts was 

 111 days, with a range from 97 to 131 days. As to the number of days required for 

 different crops to mature, the records show that wheat required from 95 to 106 days, 

 oats 88 to 102 days, barley 82 to 94, flax 83 to 95, millet 81 to 112, spelt 91 to 92, and 

 corn about 100 days. A discussion of how late small grain may be sown is based on 

 these data. 



The annual report of the Burdwan Experimental Farm for the year 1900- 

 1901, I). N. MooKERii {Calcutta: Dept. Land Records and Agr., Bengal, 1902, 

 pp. 14). — A description is given of the experimental farm, together with a financial 

 statement and a report on experiments for the year 1900-1901 . In fertilizer experi- 

 ments with rice the use of bone" meal and nitrate of soda was most profitable, and 

 green manuring with jute proved more economical than the application of cow 

 manure. In a series of experiments with jute, cow manure was more effective than 

 castor pomace, bone meal, or a combination of superphc sphate and nitrate of soda. 

 Among different fertilizers for potatoes, castor pomace gave the best returns. 



Sowing 60 lbs. of rice per acre was found more profitable than sowing 30 lbs. In 

 growing potatoes the sets gave a larger yield than whole tubers. Of 4 varieties of 

 sugar cane under test the Kajli was the only one grown with profit. The largest 

 yield of different varieties of potatoes was obtained from Naini Tal grown from 

 imported seed. Black-seeded sorghum yielded 2,180 1V)S. of fodder per acre and red- 

 seeded 18,939 lbs. 



Experiments with field crops {County Councils Cumberland, Durham, and North- 

 umherhind, Tech. Fjlucati(m. lipf. 10 {1901), pp. 1-121, 125-150).— The results of 

 cooperative fertilizer and variety tests with swedes, turnips, potatoes, mangels, cere- 

 als, and grass are reported. In addition to the results of these experiments, the 

 composition of the crops as infiuenced by the fertilizers applied is shown. Analyses 

 of soils are also given. 



Pot experiments were made to investigate the altsorption of arsenic liy barley 

 and the effect of an electric current passing through the soil on the growth of the 

 ))lants. Arsenic was applied to the pots at the rate of 11 lbs. per acre, but the soil 

 itself was found to contain a greater amount. Most of the arsenic occurrred in the 

 grain of the l)arley obtained. Soil electrolysis was found to be detrimental to plant 

 growth in the experiments reported. 



Report on the work at the Provincial Experimental Garden at Ghent in 

 1900-1901, P. DE Caluwe {Expose Cult. Exper. Jard. Gaud, 1900-1901, pp. 1-47, 

 dgm. 1). — The work comprises fertilizer, variety, and culture tests with rye, oats, 

 corn, peas, colza, chicory, fodder beets, prickley comfrey, sacchaline, turnips, 

 potatoes, and grasses. The results for the season are briefly reported and discussed. 



