138 EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. 



Indian corn culture, L. A. Moorhouse, W. L. Burlison, and J. A. Ratcliff 

 (OJclalioina Sta. Bui. S7, jjp. S-J/G, figs. 19). — This bulletin contains directions 

 for corn production in Oklahoma, including suggestions as to seed selection, 

 rotation, fertilizers, preparation of the soil, cultivation, and harvesting. Fifty 

 bu. per acre is taken as the average yield and the cost of production is esti- 

 mated at $10.23 per acre. An application of 13.4 tons of barnyard manure in 

 February, 1900, apparently increased the average yields during the following 

 7 years by 9.85 bu. of grain and 0.55 ton of stover per acre. Considerable 

 residual influence from this api)lication appeared in 1906. 



Progress in methods of producing higher yielding strains of corn, C. P. 

 Hartley (U. 8. Deiit. Agr. Yearbook 1909, pp. 309-320, pis. //).— This article 

 gives a brief history of work in corn improvement, outlines some of the systems 

 followed, and explains some of the more important principles of corn breeding. 



Growing and using corn for ensilage or forage corn, J. H. Grisdale (Canada 

 Cent. Expt. Farm Bui. 65, pp. 16, pis. .',, figs. 5). — This bulletin discusses corn 

 for forage and ensilage in Canada and gives directions for its production, har- 

 vesting, storage, and feeding. 



Fertilizers for corn soils, JM. Whitney ( U. 8. Dept. Agr., Bur. Soils Bui. 6.'i, 

 pp. 31). — This bulletin presents in tabular form a compilation of yields of 

 corn on fertilized and unfertilized soils obtained in 6,394 tests reported by the 

 state agricultural experiment stations during the period from 1869 to 1907. 



Mixtures of 2 or 3 materials were followed by more greatly increased yields 

 than was the application of a single material, but duplicate check plats varied 

 so widely that all results must be interpreted with considerable latitude. 

 Fertilizers appear to have yieldetl about the same average increase on the more 

 productive and on the less productive soils. The average cost of fertilizers 

 used in all experiments was $7.06 per acre, and the average increase in crop 

 9.2 bu. of shelled corn, worth at 60 cts. per bushel $5.52. 



The effect of fertilizers applied to timothy on the corn crop following it, 

 T. L. Lyon and J. O. Morgan {ISIew York Cornell Sta. Bui. 273, pp. 53-76, figs. 

 8). — A marked residual effect on corn followed the application to timothy 

 of both natural and artificial fertilizers. Plats which had received fertilizers 

 showed a gain of 35.8 per cent for forage, 25.15 per cent for stover, and 66.65 

 per cent for ear corn. The increase in ear corn was invariably greater than 

 that in forage or stover. With potassium the ear corn was increased more 

 than with either nitrogen or phosphorus. With a mixture of potassium and 

 phosphorus there was a greater increase in forage and stover than with any 

 other mixture of 2 fertilizers, but the greatest increase in ear corn was with 

 potassium and nitrogen. The- maximum increase of forage, ear corn, stover, 

 and timothy followed the application of all 3 fertilizers. 



No combination of artificial fertilizers equaled barnyard manure in residual 

 effect. With 10 tons of manure per acre there was an increase of 110 per cent 

 in the yield of ear corn, and the application of 20 tons was followed by an 

 increase of 115 per cent. The increase in stover and forage was smaller but 

 was greater than that following any combination of mineral fertilizers. The 

 applications had been more than paid for by the increased yields of hay, so that 

 the residual effect upon corn was clear gain. The use of 20 tons per acre of 

 farm manure applied twice to timothy, but not to the corn following, produced 

 a gain of $108 per acre in 4 years, while the gain from 10 tons was $72 per 

 acre. The most profitable fertilizer combination produced a gain of $60.85. 



Lime had the effect of rendering available plant nutrients in the soil but 

 did not increase the efficiency of the fertilizers. Since the percentage of 

 increase was greater when fertilizers were not applied, the authors regard its 



