436 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



and that the growing of but one crop from large seed went but a short way toward 

 counteracting the influence of heredity." 



A comparison for 2 years of vine cuttings and slips for propagation resulted in an 

 average increase of 7.9 bu. of merchantable potatoes and of 4.5 bu. per acre of total 

 yield in favor of vine cuttings. Cuttings 2 ft. long and slips gave practically the 

 same yield, while cuttings 1 ft. long yielded 16.9 bu. of merchantable potatoes and 

 12.1 bu. of total crop more, and 4.8 bu. of culls less per acre than slips. The results 

 of a test of moving and pruning sweet potato vines to facilitate late cultivation indi- 

 cate that "any treatment that disturbed the vines, whether by moving, pruning, or 

 lifting, to a more or less extent; decreased the )nerchan table yield, and the time and 

 lalior spent in thus manipulating the vines was uselessly employed and probably 

 detrimental to the crop." 



For 2 years planting on a level was compared with planting on ridges 3, 6, and 9 

 in. high. "The highest total yield and the highest yield of merchantable iwtatoes 

 were secured from the plats with ridges raised 3 in. high. These also gave the 

 smallest number of culls. The next best yield in both merchantable and total 

 product was from the level plats. Ridges 9 in. high gave 28.7 bu. per acre less than 

 the level plats and 33 bu. per acre less than the plat with ridges 3 in. high." 



Several lots of sweet potatoes were selected immediately after digging and treated 

 in various ways for the purpose of checking or preventing decay. The percentage of 

 sound potatoes after 10 weeks of storage ranged from 14 to 72. Attempts to store the 

 potatoes within 3 to 5 days after digging or before they were thoroughly dried were 

 all unsuccessful. Sweet potatoes heated for 8 days in a well-ventilated room at a 

 temperature varying from 100 to 130° F. were quite successfully stored in a cellar 

 with the other lots treated in different ways, and the percentage of sound potatoes 

 after 10 weeks of storage ranged from 94 to 98. 



Fertilizers for tobacco, B. AV. Kilgore {Bui. North Carolina State Bd. Agr., 23 

 {190 J), No. S, pp. 34-37). — In connection with a brief discussion of the subject, 5 

 different fertilizer formulas suited for different localities are given. 



Manufactures of tobacco, J. H. Garber {Twelfth Census United States, Census Bui. 

 197, pp. 36). — This bulletin contains statistics on the production and manufacture of 

 tobacco and on the imports and exports of the manufactured and unmanufactured 

 article. Historical and descriptive notes on tobacco, its culture and manufacture, are 

 also given. 



Vicia augustifolia allioni, L. Wittmack {Mitt. Deut. Landw. GeselL, 17 {1903), 

 Nus. .;, pp. 17-19; 6, pp. 25, 26). — This article treats mainly of the botanical char- 

 acters of this vetch and the more commonly known species and varieties. 



The assimilation of plant food by wheat, J. Adorjan {Jour. Landiv., 50 {1902), 

 No. 3, pp. 193-230). — A review of the work on the assimilation of plant food in 

 wheat is given, and the results obtained by the author in a study along the same line 

 are reported in tables and discussed. Samples of the growing wheat plant taken at 

 intervals of 10 and 5 days were air-dried and analyzed. Analyses are given for the 

 entire plant and for its different parts. The results show that the assimilation of the 

 plant food in wheat does not proceed in the same ratio as the formation of dry mat- 

 ter, but that generally the plant has a greater food requirement in the earlier stages 

 of its growth than later on. During early growth, nitrogen is the principal require- 

 ment, and phosphoric acid is also taken up in large quantities. A heavy food 

 requirement continues while the plant is heading. At this time phosphoric acid is 

 needed in large quantities. At the blossom period this element is assimilated even 

 faster than nitrogen and reaches the maximum. Under normal conditions no more 

 phosphoric acid is taken up for the development of the plant after the maximum 

 assimilation has been reached. After blossoming the assimilation of nitrogen is 

 reduced to the needs of the plant for the formation of grain. Wheat takes up the 

 greatest portion of its food in the early stages of growth, stores it up, and draws upon 

 it later for the development of the grain. 



