828 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol.40 



ing from the sheaths. In most cases only 3 or 4 spikelets emerged, though a 

 few additional ones remained enclosed within the sheaths. These dwarf plants 

 for the most part failed to mature seeds before frost, though they were 

 watered and protected from injury." 



In 1917 all the viable seeds from the dwarf plants produced dwarfs exactly 

 like the parents, while seed from 10 of the tall plants grown in the same 

 head row with the dwarfs in 1916 and sown in individual plant rows in 1917 

 produced 1G8 tall plants and 66 dwarfs, 4 rows producing all tall plants. In 

 191S seed produced in 1917 from individual tall plants in 4 of the segregating 

 plant rows were sown again at Aberdeen, together with seed from the dwarfs 

 and from rows showing all tall plants. The seed from both tall and dwarf 

 plants in one segregating row was also grown by H. H. Love at Cornell Uni- 

 versity, and that from the remaining row by II. K. Hayes at the Minnesota 

 Experiment Station. Of the 168 tall plants produced in 1917, 65 proved to 

 be homozygous for tallness and 103 heterozygous. The latter produced 1,536 

 tall and 514 dwarf plants. 



It is stated that " no adequate explanation of the sudden appearance of this 

 dwarf forms has yet been found. The plant from which it developed grew in 

 1915 in the varietal classification nursery at Aberdeen, and for two or three 

 years previous this lot of Victory oats had been grown from bulk seed 

 produced from rows in this nursery. The Victory oat originated as a pure- 

 line selection from a commercial variety, not a hybrid, at the Swedish Seed- 

 Breeding Institute. SvalOf, Sweden. . . . There is do evidence that hy- 

 bridization has entered into the production of this dwarf, though natural 

 hybrids in oats are not infrequent at Aberdeen." 



The author discusses briefly the occurrence of dwarfness in wheat with 

 particular reference to plants described by W. Parrer. 1 



The potato and the war, J. M. IIakraca {La Pomme dc Terre (t hi <li<< rre. 

 Paris: Libr. Apr. d< la Maison Ruttique, H'lS. pp. 6), fig. 1). — The author pre- 

 sents a brief compilation of Information relative to improved cultural methods 

 resulting in increased yields of potatoes in France, with particular reference 

 to the use of the so-called "vegetative tip" or bud end of the tuber for seed. 

 The choice of adapted varieties and the Improvement of existing strains is 

 recommended. The importance of potato growing in the Army zone and the 

 place of the potato in military vegetable gardens are discussed. 



Soy beans in Alabama, E. F. Cauthen (Alabama Col. Bta. Bui 90S (1918), 

 pp. 89-123, fi<js. 10). — Directions are given for growing the crop in the State 

 based on a review of fertilizer, cultural, and variety tests. 



With acid phosphate applied at the rate of 240 lbs. per acre on sandy soil 

 there was an a , \erage increase in yield of hay of 504 lbs., while with kainit and 

 sodium nitrate there was no appreciable increase. Similar amounts of acid 

 phosphate and rock phosphate resulted in gains of 323 and 243 lbs. of hay per 

 acre, respectively. Chemical fertilizers failed to produce any appreciable in- 

 crease in yields of grain, while cottonseed meal Showed a sufficient increase on 

 poor soil to justify its use. Lime also showed an increase. 



Disinfected seed planted on soil where soy beans had not been grown for 

 several years or never grown resulted in some inoculated plants, while plants 

 from seed similarly treated but sown on laud well supplied with barnyard 

 manure possessed many nodules the first year. 



Drilling in the seed at the rate of .". pk. per acre gave the largest yield of 

 both grain and straw, while the largest tonnage of hay of Mammoth Yellow 

 was secured from a seeding rate of 45 lbs. per acre in rows 2.5 ft. apart 



»Agr. Gas. N. S Wales, 9 (1808), pp. 162 166. 



