840 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



bu. per acre, respectively. Sowing wheat October 1 gave best results as compared 

 with other dates. Of 7 varieties of oats, Big Four yielded 67.70 bu. per acre, the 

 highest yield by weight. By measure the yield amounted to 63.72 bu. Hot- water 

 treatment for the prevention of smut in oats seemed to have been effective. 



Fall sowing of winter or sand vetch ( Vicia villosa) was practiced with success. 

 The vetch sown alone or in a mixture with wheat on light sandy and sandy loam 

 soils gave satisfactory yields. Sand lucern {Medlcago media) is described and the 

 results of culture tests are reported. A plat of sand lucern was pastured with sheep 

 and the results led to the conclusion that this crop furnishes aljundant {pasture, and 

 that pasturing is not injurious to the plant. On another plat a total of 12,310 1])S. of 

 cured hay per acre were oVjtained in four cuttings this season. In 1901 this same 

 plat had yielded 4,265 lbs. of cured hay per acre 1)y June 15. These results were 

 obtained on a light sandy soil. 



The experiments undertaken with barley, hops, clover, and sugar beets as well as 

 a test of AUnit are briefly mentioned but no results are reported. 



Winter cereals and legumes, A. M. Soule and P. 0. Vaxatter (Tennessee Sta. 

 Bui., Vol. XIV, No. 3, pp. 19, figs. 7). — The resultsof an experiment in seed selection 

 with winter barley showed an average increase of 10.6 bu. per acre obtained by the 

 use of large grains for seed as compared with small grains. In connection with mak- 

 ing the selection of seed it was found that in the material at hand the large heads 

 contained on an average 53.8 grains, the medium heads 33.2, and the small heads 

 25.5. It required 753 grains from large heads to weigh an ounce, and 876 from small 

 heads. A test of seeding winter barley at different dates resulted in a yield of 30.4 

 bu. per acre from the seeding of September 17, and of only 8.8 bu. from the seeding 

 made November 15. Intertillage experiments with this crop indicated that sowing 

 in narrow rows without subsequent cultivation is the most satisfactory method. 



Winter barley and Fulcaster Avheat grown on good soil yielded 71.1 and 44.58 bu. 

 per acre, respectively. On poor soil the respective }'ields were 27.1 and 37 bu. per 

 acre. 



Among a numl^er of varieties of winter oats Culberson was the most productive 

 and also the earliest, ripening fully 2 weeks before any other variety. The highest 

 yield produced by this variety was 73.7 bu. per acre. It is described as a fine, strong, 

 thrifty grower, standing up well and producing a well-filled grain of superior quality. 

 A seeding made October 3 matured earlier and gave better returns than seedings 

 made later. Of 3 varieties of winter rye. Twentieth Century gave the best returns, 

 the total weight of crop being 8,170 lbs. per acre and the yield of grain 42.5 bu. 

 Seeding October 4 gave much better results than seeding October 25. The yields of 

 3 winter cereals, wheat, barley, and rye, are compared. The rye produced the 

 heaviest total crop, 7,218 lbs. per acre. 



Hairy vetch as a winter crop, grown singlj', yielded 7.68 tons of green forage, or 

 1.85 tons of cured hay per acre. When grown with barley the yield of cured hay 

 per acre was 3.28 tons, with wheat 3.72 tons, and with oats 1.60 tons. The experi- 

 ence of the station is that it combines well with oats, wheat, and barley for pasture 

 and hay, and that it is in general of easy cultivation. 



The amounts of digestible nutrients per ton of the different kinds of hay are tabu- 

 lated. The cost of making a ton of hay from the different crops varied from $4.73 

 with wheat to $10.65 with oats and vetch. The value and expediency of growing 

 winter cereals and legumes for hay making and pasturage is dwelt upon throughout 

 the bulletin. 



Soil improvement and forag'e experiments, R. L. Bennett {Arkansas Sta. Bid. 

 68, pp. 51-60, fig. 1). — Corn and cowpeas were grown on a number of plats, and when 

 the corn was ripe the ears were harvested, and then steers fed on cotton seed were 

 grazed on the remainder of the crop. On corres]ionding plats a crop of corn was 

 cut and the stover removed from the soil. The following year cotton, corn, and oats 



