434 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Recent work on the impi'ovement of cereals is sketched, " using the work of 

 Patrick Shirreff as a background from which to estimate progress." Frequent 

 references to the literature of the subject are given. 



Dry-land grains in the Great Basin, F. D. Farrell (U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. 

 Plant Indus. Circ. 61, pp. 39, pis. 2). — Conditions at the Nephi (Utah) sub- 

 station are briefly summarized and the methods of conducting the experiments 

 explained. Part of the yields reported are taken from Bulletin 100 of the Utah 

 Station previously noted (E. S. R., 19, p. 328). A part of the work was in 

 cooperation with the Utah Station. 



During a G-year test the winter and spring wheat varieties averaged 20.26 

 and 13.22 bu. per acre respectively. Of 60 varieties of winter wheat tested, 

 Turkey wheat (G. I. No. 2998) has protluced the highest yields, averaging 27.7 

 bu. for the period 1904-1909. The average yield of durum wheats during 6 

 years was 10.06 bu. per acre, and that in 1908-9, 8.84 bu., while common varieties 

 during the same 2 years averaged 13.3 bu. per acre. Among the common varieties 

 tested, New Zealand Spring and Mexican No. 1 yielded 18.23 and 16.8 bu. per 

 acre respectively. 



The Boswell Winter oats, a variety of local origin, proved very strong in 

 tillering power, so that what appears to be a very poor stand until the middle of 

 June, later appears as a crop of surprising abundance. During 1904-1909 the 

 Black American oats averaged 28.51 bu. per acre. During 1908-9, Sixty-Day 

 (Highmore) and Swedish Select averaged 31.27 and 28.82 bu. per acre respec- 

 tively, while in 1909, Kherson yielded 19.19 bu. per acre. The Kherson and 

 Sixty-Day varieties ripen 10 to 15 days earlier than Swedish Select, 10 days 

 earlier than Black American, and 15 days earlier than Giant Yellow. 



The California and California Prolific barleys are botanically identical and 

 !)ractically equal in yield, producing 22.14 and 22 bu. per acre respectively dur- 

 ing 1904-1909. Hull-less barley averaged 13.58 bu. per acre during 1907-1909. 

 Utah Winter barley (G. I. No. 592), obtained from a crop of about 50 bu. per 

 acre on an adjoining farm in 1908, yielded 25.9 bu. at the substation in 1909. It 

 grew 25 to 30 in. in height and ripened 10 days earlier than the spring barleys. 

 During 1908-9, Black Winter emmer proved extremely hardy and drought- 

 resistant and averaged 42.49 bu. per acre. 



Spring and fall plowing for this region are compared, depth of plowing and 

 subsoiling discussed, and the care of fallow soil, eradication of weeds, and other 

 dry-land topics treated. 



A plat cultivated throughout the summer and one left uncultivated from the 

 time of plowing in the fall of 1908 until just before planted in October, 1909, 

 were on May 21 approximately equal in water content, but subsequently lost 

 from the upper 6 ft, of soil during the season 7 and 23 per cent respectively of 

 their moisture content. The losses from the upper 2 ft. were 10 and 37 per cent 

 respectively. 



Among sowings of wheat made at 15-day intervals from August 15 to Novem- 

 ber 1 during 1905-1909, inclusive, the sowings on October 1 and 15 produced the 

 highest average yields of 22 and 22.68 bu. per acre respectively, while the pro- 

 portion of straw to grain was lowest in case of the sowings made on October 15 

 and Novem'ier 1. A spring wheat soil harrowed the last of April and cultivated 

 early in June with a special weeder contained 17.04 per cent of moisture to a 

 depth of 6 ft. on June 26 and 15.31 per cent on August 12. An uncultivated plat 

 contained 15.97 and 11.73 per cent respectively on the same dates. As a result 

 of other experiments conducted it is thought that plowing 7 to 10 in. deep will 

 prove profitable. 



It is recommended that winter wheat be planted from September 20 to October 

 20, that winter and spring barley be sown at the rate of 5 pks. per acre, wheat 



