766 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



little residual effect, and that a crop given commercial fertilizers should be immedi- 

 ately foil. I wed by a cat cli crop in order that any remaining available plant fund may 

 lie taken up. Heavy applications of commercial fertilizers for corn are not consid- 

 ered expedient. In one of these experiments muriate of potash showed a greater 

 residual effect than acid phosphate or cotton-seed meal. 



Corn selection, F. W. Card and A. E. Stene ( Rhodi Tsland sin. Rpt. 1904, /'/'■ 

 206-211, pis. ..'). — Experiments in the selection of sweet corn were begun in 1898 for 

 the purpose of determining the influence of selection in increasing the number of ears 

 per stalk. In one line of the work the seed was always taken from the lower ear 

 from stalks producing the largest number of ears, and in the other from the upper 

 ear of stalks producing the largest number of ears. The object was to test the 

 theory that because the lower ear is less perfectly developed than the upper ear 

 the seed used from this ear will increase lower ear production and consequently 

 the number of ears on the stalk. 



The results for the year are given in tables. The average number of ears per 

 stalk where the selection was from the lower ear was 1.38, and where the selection 

 was from the upper ear 2.76. The results are considered as showing " that it is the 

 characteristics of the parent which produced the seed that are likely to he perpetu- 

 ated, rather than the characteristics indicated by position or type of the individual 

 seed itself. . . . So with corn, the character of the plant from which the seed came 

 is of much more importance than the point on that plant from which it came." 



Iowa's campaign for better corn, P. (I. Holden {Amer. Mo. It> v. of Reviews, SO 

 {1904), No. 178, pp. 563-567, figs. 5). — An article describing a campaign of instruc- 

 tion, with a view to improving methods of corn culture and increasing the yield 

 within the State. The lecturers and others interested were conveyed in a special 

 train. In S days 150 lectures on corn culture and corn improvement were delivered 

 to over 17,000 people. The principal points discussed were the low average yield, a 

 poor stand, unsuitable varieties, corn selection and breeding, and the importance of 

 testing and grading seed. A method of making a germination test of seed corn is 

 described. 



Emmer and spelt, C. E. Saundees {Canada, Cent. Expt. Farm. Bid. 45, pp. 10, 

 figs. 'J). — This bulletin gives general descriptions of emmer and spelt, compares the 

 two grains, and describes several varieties of each. Directions for the cultivation of 

 common emmer are given, and the yields of this variety compared with the yields of 

 several varieties of wheat as shown by the results obtained at the five experimental 

 farms of the Dominion. 



The conclusion drawn from these results is that "common emmer can not gener- 

 ally he depended upon to give as large a crop of grain as the most productive varie- 

 ties of wheat." A similar comparison of this crop with oats-and barley shows that 

 Mensury barley gave larger yields at all the experimental farms and Banner oats at 

 every farm except at Brandon. The composition of the whole grain, kernels, and 

 hulls of red and common emmer and red and white bearded spelt, as determined by 

 A. T. Charron, is given in a table. The data indicate that the kernels of emmer and 

 spelt contain about : J > per cent of albuminoids more than the kernels of Mensury 

 barley. 



Hop drying, A. L. Knisely {Oregon Sta. Rpt. 1903, pp. 40, 41)- — The drying of 

 hops in Oregon is briefly noted and an unsuccessful attempt to hasten drying by 

 means of artificial draft in the ventilating shaft of the kiln is described. The failure 

 was due to the inadequacy of the apparatus. 



Improvement of oats by breeding, J. B. Norton {Hod. Sue New York Mem., 1 

 {190.'), pp. 103-109). — This paper is a review of the work of improving oats by 

 breeding. The method of making artificial crosses employed by the author is 

 described. 



