FIELD CROPS. 967 



first and second pickings is taken as the most convenient and effective means of 

 determining the relative earliness of different varieties. The bulletin is summarized 

 as follows: 



"Prepare the soil thoroughly and early, beginning with fall plowing. Fertilize 

 liberally and judiciously, carefully avoiding an excess of nitrogen. On rich, dark, 

 alluvial, and freshly cleared soils phosphoric acid alone, in the form of acid phos- 

 phate, may be applied. Apply fertilizers in the drill and bed on them. Broadcast- 

 ing is rarely, if ever, expedient. Choose an early maturing and productive variety 

 f cotton , and plant on the beds and as early as possible. Apply in the seed furrows 

 40 to 75 lbs. per acre of quickly available fertilizer, preferably 25 to 40 lbs. of nitrate 

 of soda. Reduce to a final stand as quickly as possible. Let cultivation be frequent 

 and shallow. Narrow rows with wide spacing of plants in the rows will result in a 

 greater early yield than will wide rows with close spacing." 



Report on cotton cultivation in the British Empire and in Egypt, W. R. 

 Dunston i London: Darling & Son, /./'/., 1904, pp- 40, m<i/> /, dgms. .'). — This report 

 describes the cultivation of cotton in the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, and 

 Australia. The improvement of the British supply of cotton with special reference 

 to India is discussed by Sir George Watt. A bibliography on the subject of cotton 

 and cotton culture is also given. 



The cowpea in the North, A. Aoee ( Pennsylvania Dept. Agr. Bui. 130, pp. 41). — 

 The object of this bulletin is to point out the value of the crop for Pennsylvania and 

 to give directions for its culture and use under the conditions prevailing in theState. 

 The results of experiment station work are largely drawn upon in the discussion of 

 the different topics. 



The growth of crimson clover ( Trifolium incarnatum ) , C. L. PENistv {Delaware 

 Sta. />'»/. 67, pp. 54, dgms. 3). — Experiments were made to determine the nitrogen 

 content of crimson clover in its early spring growth and when in full bloom. For 

 the purpose of this study the clover was cut at different stages and the roots were 

 dug up to a depth of 6 in. The crop was grown under field conditions on different 

 types of soil, and in studying the yield of dry matter the weight of the total air-dry 

 material and its distribution between the tops and the roots was considered. 



It was found that about one month before full bloom the tops and roots weigh from 

 •'!7 to 60 per cent as much as at full bloom, and that the plant is on an average about 

 half grown. If plowed under at this stage the quantity is smaller but it decays faster 

 than if allowed to reach full growth. The roots constitute from 12 to 50 per cent and 

 average about 30 per cent of the whole plant, and have but little connection with 

 the stage of growth. The air-dry matter in the tops ranged from 14 to 27 per cent 

 and seemed to increase slightly toward full bloom. The yield of nitrogen from the 

 entire plant ranged from 139 to 188 lbs. per acre, with the exception of one case, in 

 which it reached 216 lbs. Thirty days before full bloom the yield of nitrogen 

 amounted to from one-half to fourteen-fifteenth s of the yield at full bloom. When 

 grown on soil on which the crop had previously been grown the plants seemed to 

 get the most of the nitrogen comparatively early in their growth, while when grown 

 on soil for the firs! time the nitrogen increased slowly at first and the greatest gain 

 was made during the last month, so that early plowing in the one case is likely to 

 cause- a much smaller loss in nitrogen than in the other. From 12 to 50 per cent of 

 the total nitrogen in the plant was found in the roots and the stage of growth did 

 not seem to affect its distribution between the tops and the roots. About one-fourth 

 of the total nitrogen in the plant is in the parts underground, and it is estimated 

 that the nitrogen left in the soil, in the stubble, and in the roots after mowing is, on 

 an average, from 35 to 40 per cent of the total nitrogen of the crop. During the 30 

 days preceding full bloom the nitrogen content of the tops was reduced about 1 per 

 cent and that of the roots about J per cent. 



