FIELD CROPS. 213 



degree of soil moisture. With wheat the amount of moisture in the 

 soil did not intluence the depth at which the crown was formed, but 

 deep planting- increased this depth. Seed planted 4 in. deep generally 

 formed a crown 1.4 in. below the surface; seed planted O.G in. deep, 

 0.6 below the surface. lu the second series of experiments conducted 

 by the author in 1891, seeding at depths of 2.4 and 1.2 in. afforded, 

 respectively, crowns at depths of 1.212 and 0.748 in. Eckert and Stoss- 

 ner had i)reviously shown the relation between the depth of seeding 

 and that of crown formation in wheat. The experiments of these 

 investigators on rye, oats, and barley gave conflicting results, due, as 

 the author believes, to external influences which bad not at that time 

 been investigated. 



S. Toporkow had observed that the deeper the seeding the deeper 

 the crown in oi)en fields, but with wheat plants shaded by trees the 

 more shallow the seeding the deeper the crown. He found that plants 

 growing in oi)en fields formed the crown at greater depths than those 

 in shady situations. By comparing the yields of wheat following 

 cloudy and sunny autumns he obtained results that suggested, but in 

 the nature of the case could not ]n^ove, that even in farm practice the 

 difference in the amount of light under whose influence young wheat 

 plants come up may affect their hardiness as regards winterkilling. 



The author grew plants of winter wheat in pots in a dark corner of 

 a room and the crowns were superficial. In other pot experiments in 

 the open, plants very slightly shaded during early growth formed 

 crowns 0.808 in. deep, while with check plants fully exposed the depth 

 was 1.212 in, 



In soil artificially kept at a temperature of 68° F., which was consid- 

 erably higher than that of the atmosphere, crown formation was super- 

 ficial. This was attributed to the rapid growth by which, in attaining 

 a given height, the i)lants had been exposed to but a small amount of 

 sunshine. 



In the author's experiments small grains, weighing 26 mg., formed 

 crowns at a depth of 1.16 in.; large seed, weighing 49 mg., at a depth 

 of 0.96 in. Here the crowns resulting from small seed were deeper than 

 those from large seed, thus conflicting with the results of Toporkow, 

 who had obtained the deepest crowns from the largest seed. 



For resistance to winterkilling a depth of 2 to 3.2 in. is recommended 

 for seed sown early in the fall, for then clearer weather and longer days 

 prevail than later. For later fall seeding, also for northern exposure, 

 the depth should be less, thus insuring more rapid vegetation. 



Roots of farm crops, J. W. Sanborn ( Utah Sta. Bui. 32, pp. 1-6). — 

 The weight of water-free roots of oats, barley, Avheat, timothy, corn, pota- 

 toes, and clover in every inch of soil to a depth of 12 in. was determined 

 by driving into the ground an iron frame inclosing 4 sq. ft., and pro- 

 vided with a horizontal slide by which sections of soil could be cut, and 

 then separating the roots by sifting the soil through a series of sieves. 



