FIELD CROPS. 433 



At the Rajslialii station the Dacca Ganderi sugar cane produced the greatest 

 profit, but the local Kbagri variety proved resistant to disease, drought, and 

 attacks of animals. It is a thin hard cane. The yield of cane, percentages of 

 juice, sucrose, and invert sugar, and the glucose ratio and value of the raw 

 sugar, cost of production, and profit are given for each of the varieties tested. 

 Applications of 24 maunds of castor cake (1 maund = 82 lbs.) and of 6 

 niaunds superiihosphate and 2 maunds of saltpeter, in addition to 300 maunds 

 of cow manure per acre, apparently produced greater yields of raw sugar than 

 did the manure alone, but the increased yield was insufflcient to pay for the 

 additional fertilizer. The application of 30 lbs. of nitrogen and 5* maunds of 

 castor cake was followed bj' a greater yield of jute fiber {ConcJiorus olitorius) 

 than the use of the same amount of nitrogen in 107 maunds of cow manure. 

 The application of 300 maunds of jute refuse was followed by an increased yield 

 in the pea crop of 12 maunds, IS seers (1 seer = 2 lbs.) per acre. "Jute 

 refuse is likely to prove a valuable manure on light soils which contain very 

 little organic matter." A local variety excelled in yield the Mozaffarnagar in 

 1907-8, but was inferior in 1908-9. Plats green-manureil with cowpeas and 

 bare-fallowed plats produced practically equal results. A variety test with 

 potatoes is reported, Malancha capitata x^roduced 8 maunds, 17 seers of fiber 

 per acre. 



At the Jorhat station the Striped Mauritius produced among 7 varieties the 

 highe.st yield of sugar during a 3 years' test ending in 1909. Tables present 

 the results of these tests and of another with the 4 Barbados varieties. All 

 the varieties were attacked by borer and red-hot, but the former was more 

 prevalent. The variety Mag was least affected and Majhara and Samsara were 

 most affected by the borer. Mauritius and Paunda were most affected by 

 red-hot and Kheri the least. 



At the Shillong station the Local Red and New Jersey Jerusalem artichokes 

 produced the highest yield of 237 and 202 maunds per acre respectively, with 

 130 and 6 maunds of tops respectively. Tests of 3 varieties of silkworms were 

 carried on to ascertain how far the variety of mulberry fed to the worms 

 affects the output and quality of cocoons and the quantity of leaf required to 

 produce a ^iven weight of cocoons. 



At the Upper Shillong station in a test of 7 varieties of potatoes the Khasi 

 ■yainital produced the highest average yield of 111 maunds, 30 seers per acre, 

 while in a test of 5 other varieties Up-to-date produced the highest yield, 259 

 maunds. Spraying with Bordeaux mixture to prevent diseases of potatoes 

 " pays heavily." An application of 10 maunds per acre of oil cake with 150 

 maunds of cow manure proved more profitable than cow manure and 20 maunds 

 of oil cake. Whole potatoes and cut sets produced practically equal yields, 

 while tubers sprouted in boxes before planting gave a lower yield than those not 

 sprouted. " The inference is that the sprouts were knocked off or injured when 

 the tulters were being planted." 



Report of the experimental field of Upper Dnieper Agricultural Society 

 for 1908, A. KoL {Abs. in Zhur. Opuitn. Agron. {Russ. Jour. Expt. Laiidiv.), 

 JO (l'.)09). No. 6, pp. S97-899) .—These pages report fertilizer and variety tests 

 with corn, sorghum, millet, beans, vetches, rye, and wheat. 



From the Zapolsk Experiment Station, N. Dyakonov (Als. in Zhur. Opuitn. 

 Agron. (Rus.s. Jour. E.rpt. Landw.), 10 (1909), No. 6, pp. 875-877).— Experiments 

 with clover and on meadows are reported. 



The improvement of cereals— Patrick Shirreff's work, W. G. Smith (Trans. 

 Highland and Agr. Hoc. Scot., 5. scr., 22 (1910), pp. 90-106).— N brief biography 

 of Patrick Shirreff is followed by a survey of agriculture in the Lothians before 

 bis time and of the improvement of cereals before -ind during his lifetime. 



