1917] FIELD CROPS. 33 



In inheritance studies the F2 generation of hybrid seed from true spring 

 varieties of l)arley when seeded in the spring produced 18.75 per cent of winter 

 plants and 81 75 per cent of spring plants. 



The following varieties yielded best for their respective crops for two years : 

 Winter wheat, Triplet, 49.37 bu. ; spring wheat, Chul X Bluestem, 32.79 bu. ; 

 oats. Abundance ; winter barley, Tapp, 64.1 bu. ; spring barley. Blue Barley, 

 64.77 bii. ; and field peas, Canada, 28.5 bu. (one year). 



Variety tests at Ritzville under a 12-in, rainfall and summer fallowed 

 ground were continued in 1915. Hybrid 143 gave the highest yield of winter 

 wheat varieties, 54.4 bu. ; Early Baart, of spring w^heat varieties, 52.6 bu. ; 

 Blue Barley, of the barleys, 82.5 bu. ; and Sixty Day, of the oats, 76.25 bu. 



Environmental tests conducted In cooperation with the U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture were continued. 



Rotation and cultural experiments extending over a period of 15 years 

 indicate that the plat growing corn and winter wheat in alternate years has 

 given the greatest total yield of grain for 15 years and ranked among the 

 highest in yield of winter wheat in 1915 (45 bu. per acre). The plat giving 

 the highest wheat yield in 1915 (46 bu. per acre) was on a 5-year rotation 

 of clover and timothy, 1911 and 1912; oats and peas (10 tons of manure per 

 acre), 1913; corn, 1914; and wheat, 1915. The plats in rotation gave larger 

 yields in general than those growing wheat continuously, either annually or 

 in alternation with summer fallow. 



Approximately 2,000 nitrogen determinations were made of different varie- 

 ties of wheat grown under different conditions. The spring wheats grown at 

 Pullman were high In nitrogen content, the lowest percentage, 2.41, being found 

 in Red Chaff and the highest, 3.15, in Little Club. Among the winter wheats 

 Jones Winter Fife was lowest, with 2.11 per cent, and Turkey X Bluestem 

 Hybrid highest, with 3.03 per cent. The highest average nitrogen content, 

 2.82 per cent, occurred in wheat grown on summer fallow, while the lowest, 

 1.62 per cent, occurred in wheat grown on ground used for the production of 

 wheat hay the previous year. Following summer fallow the nitrogen content 

 diminshed in order after the following crops : Potatoes, carrots, beets, beans, 

 and peas. 



Alfalfa fertilizers, G. G. Brown {Oregon Sta. Bui. 141 {1911), pp. 55, 56).— 

 Field experiments at Hood River to determine the relative influence of land 

 plaster (gypsum) and flowers of sulphur on alfalfa are briefly reported. 



A 100-lb. application of land plaster to unthrifty plants was followed by a 

 total yield of 7,522 lbs. of cured hay per acre, as compared with a yield of 

 2,104 lbs. on the untreated plat. Doubling the treatment resulted in a total 

 yield of only 5,660 lbs. In this experiment an application of air-slaked lime, 

 followed by a 100-lb. application of land plaster after the first cutting, resulted 

 in greatly increased vigor and a total yield considerably in excess of the 

 untreated plat. 



An application of 16.6 lbs. of sulphur (the sulphur equivalent of 100 lbs. of 

 land plaster) was followed by a total yield of 7,650 lbs. of cured hay per 

 acre, or 890 lbs. in excess of that for the check plat. With a 200-lb. applica- 

 tion of sulphur 9,880 lbs. of hay was produced. Land plaster applied at the 

 rate of 100 lbs. per acre in this series showed a total yield of 11,300 lbs. of hay 

 per acre. A gain of 400 lbs. of hay per acre per cutting was obtained following 

 a 200-lb. application of land plaster, 100 lbs. applied in March and 100 lbs. 

 applied after the first cutting. 



Another series of experiments on which data for the first two cuttings only 

 were secured showed a total yield of 6,500 lbs. per acre following a 200-lb. 



