632 EXPERIMENT STATION EECOED. 



varieties of barley, oats, spring rye, spring wheat, and of buckwheat, winter rye, 

 winter wheat, alfalfa, and red clover that seem to be suitable as grain and 

 forage crops for that region is given. The cultivation of potatoes and general 

 methods of cultivation employed at this station are described and the success- 

 ful production of potatoes and turnips noted. 



Report of [field crops] work at Rampart Station, G. W. Gasser {Alaska 

 Stas. Rpt. 1914, pp. 56-64, P^s. 2). — The successful season's growth of Grimm 

 alfalfa, sand lucern. and Mongolian and Cherno alfalfas; Medicago falcata and 

 Vicia. cracca; Semipalatinsk and Disco alfalfas; Trifolmm hipinaster ; and Gobi 

 Desert and Obb alfalfas is noted. Descriptions of varieties of spring wheat, 

 spring rye, winter wheat, winter rye. barley, oats, and potatoes are .i;iven. 



[Report of field crops work at Kodiak Station], M. D. Snodgrass (Alaska 

 Stas. Rpt. 1914, pp. 68-74, pi. 1). — It is noted that on the ash-covered soils wheat 

 and barley when seeded with oats made better growth than when seeded alone. 



Nitrate of lime and nitrate of soda showed marked gains with oats, fair gains 

 with wheat, and little effect on barley. Fish guano, muriate of potash, fish and 

 bone, bone meal, double-manure salts, and sulphate of potash had little effect 

 on any of these grains. 



In testing cow kale as a crop for cattle feed it was shown that plants must 

 be started in hotbeds and transplanted to heavily manured soil to be .successful. 

 Turnips and rutabagas are noted as making a fair growth. The slow, unsat- 

 isfactory growth and yield of several varieties of potatoes is noted. The season 

 is stated as being favorable for general garden vegetables. The making of hay 

 and silage from native bluetop grass and from oats is mentioned. 



The restoration of vegetation on the volcanic ash-covered lands (E. S. R., 32, 

 p. 31) was slowly secured by seeding grasses. The wild rye grass (Elymus 

 mollis) and bluetop came up through the ash and provided excellent growth. 



Crop-growing' sug'gestions to dry land farmers, A. Atkinson (Montana Sta. 

 Circ. 45 (1915), pp. 12I-I4O, figs. 10). — The author discusses breaking the sod, 

 tillage following breaking, tillage after the first year, and crops for the dry 

 land farm, and suggests methods of production for spring and fall cereals, flax, 

 corn, alfalfa, sweet clover, brome grass, timothy, and clover. 



An article on potatoes by O. B. Whipple and notes regarding crop rotation 

 for dry-land farming are included. 



Crop production in the Great Plains area: Relation of cultural methods to 

 yields, E. C. Chilcott, J. S. Cole, and W. W. Burr (U. S. Dept. Agr. Bui. 26S 

 (1915), pp. 28, figs. 2). — This bulletin presents a summary of the data given in 

 detail in six buleltins already noted (E. S. R., 33. pp. 137, 230, 231, 232, and 

 332), and discusses the value of the methods of tillage employed with the dif- 

 ferent crops, upon which the following conclusions were based : 



" Under the normal conditions prevailing in any part of the Great Plains 

 for a term of 10 years on any type of soil represented at any of the stations, 

 some crops can be produced at a profit when proper cultural methods are prac- 

 ticed, provided that the prices of labor and of farm produce bear the same rela- 

 tion to each other as those which have prevailed there during the last ]0 years. 

 No single crop tested in these investigations can be raised profitably in all parts 

 of the Great Plains area on any type of soil by any cultural method so far 

 tested. As forage crops of some kind can profitably be grown at all stations, 

 they must occupy an important place in any system of farming adapted to the 

 Great Plains. Sufficient live stock must be kept to convert these crops into 

 finished products on the farm, and sufficient forage must be produced and 

 stored during favorable seasons to carry the live stock through specially 

 unfavorable seasons." 



