826 EXPERIMENT STATTOHiT RECORD. IVoL 86 



ducted in 1914 by C. B, Hutchison and B. M. McDonald, 49 of 112 pure lines of 

 wheat selected from 12 commercial varieties gave larger yields than the variety 

 from which they were selected. Of 34 pure lines of Mediterranean 16 yielded 

 33.7 and 18, 23.5 bu. per acre as compared with 28.68 bu. for the commercial 

 variety. In another test of 62 selections from hybrids compared with their 

 parents and with pure lines selected from these parents, the pure lines In most 

 cases gave the better yields. 



Selections were also made of winter oats and winter wheat in connection with 

 work carried on by C. B. Hutchison, E. M. McDonald, and A. R. Evans. Winter 

 Turf and Culbertson winter oats came through the winter of 1913-14 in good 

 condition, while Argentine Winter and Texas Red Rust Proof badly winter- 

 killed. The varieties of winter barley under experiment were Tennessee Winter, 

 Wisconsin Winter, Tenkan, and two-row Hybrid. 



Studies of the adaptation of the important types, varieties, and regional strains 

 of alfalfa to Missouri conditions and cultural experiments with soy beans were 

 pursued by J. C. Hackleman. In 1914, when a severe drought reduced the yield 

 of alfalfa, the largest total yield, 2.25 tons per acre, was secured from seed 

 which came from Mongolia, and the next best yield was secured from seed of 

 Minnesota Grimm. Good yields were also obtained from seed from France, 

 Montana, and Bohemia. The yields from tests of different rates of seeding of 

 soy beans were placed from best to poorest at 42, 104, 64, and 82 lbs. per acre. In 

 trials with placing the rows different distances apart the largest yield of hay 

 was secured with the distance of 40 in. between the rows, foUowed by rows 

 seeded 8, 24, 16, and 32 in. apart, in the order named. 



Sweet clover investigations were conducted by C. B. Hutchison, J. C. Hackle- 

 man, and A. R. Evans. A dry season interfered with the work. A viide varia- 

 tion in the percentage of hard seed in the samples sown was observed. Many 

 samples germinated as low as 10 per cent, while sulphuric acid treatment in- 

 creased the germination to as much as 60 per cent in some cases. The best 

 stands were obtained by seeding alone between April 1 and June 1 and between 

 August 15 and September 1. 



A study of spring, summer, and fall grown crops for forage was made by J. C. 

 Hackleman and A. R. Evans. The best combinations of fall-sown crops for 

 winter pastinre and spring forage were rye and vetch and rye and crimson clover. 

 In the spring-sown series rape proved the best forage crop, both in growth and 

 in drought resistance. In a summer-sown series harvested in October very little 

 difference in weight of dry forage between sorghum and cowpeas and cowpeas 

 and corn was observed. There was a larger percentage of peas in the corn than 

 in the sorghum, although the seeding of peas was at the same rate. The differ- 

 ence In yield was less than 5 per cent of the total in favor of the cowpea mixture. 



Observations on the relation of cowpea growing to wheat production on con- 

 tinuously cropped land, made by 0. A. LeClair, indicated that where wheat is 

 grown continuously and cowpeas are planted after each crop a better yield of 

 wheat is obtained than if the soil is fallowed. 



In experiments with corn and cowpeas, conducted by M. F. Miller and C. A. 

 LeClair, the results of two years' work showed that if corn and cowpeas are 

 seeded together at the same time the growth of both plants is limited. A de- 

 crease in the percentage of nitrogen in the ear of corn resulted when cowpeas 

 were planted in the row with corn, while where the co^\'peas were drilled 

 between the rows at the last cultivation a slight increase in the nitrogen content 

 of the ear resulted. For the two years there was also an increase in yield of 

 3 bu. to the acre, and an increase in the amount of stover in proportion to that 

 of the grain. 



