EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 827 



FIELD CROPS. 



Forag-e plants and their culture, C. V. Pipicr (New York: The Macmillan 

 'Co., 1914, PP- XXl-\-618, pis. cS. figs. 6^).— This book, one of the Rural Text- 

 Book Series, treats of llie diflerent species^ of plants that have been or may be 

 grown in different parts of the United States. It Includes chapters treating of 

 the general subjects of preservation of forage, choice of forage crops, seeds and 

 seeding, and meadows and pastures, and on the special subjects of the species of 

 grasses, legumes, root crops, and miscellaneous herbs used as forage. 



[Report of] department of agronomy (Oregon Sta. Rpt. 1913-14, pp. 24- 

 26). — Trials of vetches have shown that smooth vetch (Vicia sativa) is superior 

 to others for western Oregon. In corn breeding Minnesota 13 for silage and 

 forage and Minnesota 23 for grain have, by selection, been made to meet Oregon 

 conditions, yields ranging from 7.4 to 22.1 tons of silage and from 34 to 85 bu. 

 of grain per acre, respectively, having been secured. Variety tests of soy beans, 

 potatoes, wheat, oats, and barley are noted, as in the production of a superior 

 quality of kale seed secured by selection. Thousand-headed kale is noted as 

 being superior to marrow cabbage. 



Extensive irrigation experiments covering six years are noted. "A careful 

 study of the effect of irrigation on the soil itself shows that with careful 

 handling as to crop rotation, cultivation, and judicious use of water the quality 

 of the soil may steadily be improved, but with careless handling the quality may 

 be greatly injured. 



" Using one dollar, which the data show is the maximum total annual cost for 

 each acre inch, corn has given an average profit of 50 cts. an acre inch, kale 

 75 cts., beets $1.18, alfalfa $1.75, beans $2.86, clover $2.87, carrots $3.74, and 

 potatoes $7.63 for each acre inch of water applied. The mean profit for each 

 acre inch as an average of all crops and including nearly 150 trials has been 

 $2.33. The average increase in yield by crops has been 54 per cent and the 

 average depth of irrigation for each season 4.8 in." 



Unsuccessful attempts at rice gi'owing are noted. 



The relation between the physical characteristics of soils and their grain- 

 producing power, G. Stempel (Landiv. Jahrh., 46 (1914), No. S, pp. 367-401, 

 figs. 6). — ^After reviewing the literature on this subject, the author gives in 

 tabular form results of the production of oats, barley, and rye on many kinds of 

 soil in Bohemia that have been analyzed. These figures were compiled from the 

 report of the experiment station at Tabor. 



Fertilizers and the production of cereals, Palladius (Prog. Agr. y Pecuario, 

 20 (1914), Nos. 878, pp. 452-456; 879, pp. 472-474; 880, pp. 487-490; 881, pp. 

 503-506; 882, pp. 519-521, figs. S).— In this article the author points out the 

 relation of yields of cereals to the consumption of potash in the chief grain- 

 producing countries of Europe, and gives results of tests carried on at various 

 centers in Spain that show increased yields following the use of fertilizers, and 

 especially the addition of potash to nitrogenous and phosphatic fertihzers for 

 wheat, barley, oats, and rye. 



The small grains in Tennessee, C. A. Mooers (Tennessee Sta. Bui. 112 

 (1915), pp. 9-30, figs. 9). — This bulletin gives results of variety tests of wheat, 

 barley, and oats covering a period of several years. 



It is noted that the best varieties of wheat for Tennessee conditions were 

 Kansas Mortgage Lifter and Fulcaster. In studying methods of selection for 

 improvement it is shown "that the Poole [variety of] wheat could be separated 

 into strains or varieties which had different yielding capacities. The continued 

 selection of the largest and best heads resulted in a variety which yielded 

 highest and was markedly different in general appearance from the variety 



