FIELD CROPS. 955 



moderate (luality nitrate of scjila was an effective and profitable fertilizer for wheat. 

 Barnyard niannre did not appear remunerative, i)robahly liecau^e the applicati(jn did 

 not have sutticient time to become effective, and for this reason barnyard manure 

 is considered better a(hipted to ihe cotton crop. The increase in yield due to the 

 use of superphosphate was not adequate to repay the cost of the fertilizer. 



Relation of crop production to amount of water available and methods of 

 cultivation, A. R. Whitson {Wisroimiu ,'^l(i. Jipl. lUO.', pp. IS.i-lfil). — This w<irk is 

 in continuation of rotation and irrigation experiments previously noted ( K. S. R., lo, 

 p. 936). The yields of the different crops are given, and the distribution of rainfall 

 during the growing season for 21 years is shown in a table. Tin- rotation is oats 

 seeded to clover, clover, potatoes on manured clover sod, and corn. The rainfall 

 was so plentiful this season that irrigation be(;ame unnecessary. 



The results with c(jrn showed that the growth of ears and stalks were greati'i- 1 lur- 

 ing the wet and cold season of 1902 than during the hot and dry season (jf 1901, when 

 the deficient rainfall was supplemented l)y irrigation. In 1!I02 larger yields of corn 

 were obtained from manured and unmanured plats wliicli had iiever ))een irrigated 

 than from similar plats which had been irrigated in pri'vious years. Tliis result is 

 considered due to the reduction of fertility by the growth of largei- crops under irri- 

 gation during the dry season, or to the washing of the irrigated soil. 



The yield of potatoes was smaller than the year before when the ground was irri- 

 gated. Potatoes grown in rotation yielded ;542.S bu. per acre, while a crop on nld 

 alfalfa sod, but otherwise treated the same, gave only 277.7 l)u. per acre. 



The author assumes that under the existing cliinalic comlitions is in. of raintail 

 during the growing season is sufficient for corn and potatoes, 12 in. for oats, and 24 

 in. for hay. On this basis there has been, a shortage of 4 in. or more in 10 of the 

 past 21 years during the corn and potato season, in 12 years during the hay st-ason, 

 and in 4 years during the oat season. 



The results of an experiment showed that the soy bean plants used 527 lbs. of 

 water per pound of dry matter produced. In previous determinations madi- at tlie 

 station it was found that corn u.sed 270.9 lbs. of w-ater per pound of dry matter ])ro- 

 duced, oats 503.9 lbs., and clover 576.6 lbs. The soy beans yielded 7,V).S0 lbs. of dry 

 matter per acre, equal to 9,177 lbs. of hay with 15 per cent of moisture, and the 

 quantity of water used was 18.68 in. 



Influence of the soil on the protein content of crops, A. R. WnrrsoN, I'. .1. 

 Wells, and A. Vivian ( Whcoimn Ski. Rpt. 190.3, pp. 19J-,.'09, Ji'js. .5). — Experiments 

 were conducted in the field and the plant house to determine the influence of the 

 soil on the protein content of corn, oats, barley, rape, and cowpeas. Tlie nitrate 

 was furnished the soil in some instances as a solution of nitrate of soda and in otiiers 

 as leachings from a very rich soil. In each test the amount of nitrate in the soil 

 was determined at 2 or 3 stages previous to and at the time of making tiie determi- 

 nation of the protein in the plant. The results o])tained by other workers along tiiis 

 line have been previously noted. 



Oats were sown in jars on March 29 and the soil in some jars watered with lake 

 water containing no nitrates, in others with an amount of leachings of a rich i)lant- 

 house soil with the lake water, and in a third group with the same leachings twice 

 as strong. It was found that the amount of nitric nitrogen in the plant decreascil 

 greatly between May 6 and 21 in the plants growing in the poorest soil, wliiie it 

 increased slightly in the plants growing on soil of medium fertility, and nuich more 

 in those on the richest soil. The proteid nitrogen in the entire plant ^lay 21 on the 

 poorest soil amounted to 1.93 per cent, on the medium soil 2.53 per cent, and on the 

 richest soil 2.66 ]>er cent. The percentage of protein was 31.09 larger in the crop 

 grown on ground of medium fertility and 37.8 larger in the i:rop grown on the most 

 fertile soil than in that on the poorest soil. 

 26240— No. 10— Go 3 



