32 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol.43 



lions iiiitl I'Xid'riiiiciiial results of Miss Saunders (E. S. R., 35, pp. 730, 731) 

 to tlie effect tli.it the liifili percentajjes of doubles among stocks is or may be 

 due t<j unconscious selection by the garden workers of the more vigorous plants 

 They report having verified the tigures presented by her, and suggest that the 

 selection is best made at the time of transplanting rather than later wlien the 

 plants have attained a larger size, as the proportion of doubles among the selec- 

 tions then made is much greater than among the .selections made when the plants 

 are potted. It is claimeil that even in the poor strains the tendency of seedlings 

 which early .sh(jw vigor is in the same direction. 



A new auxanonieter, F. M. Haines (Ann. liot. [London], 33 {1919), No. 130, 

 pp. 181-1S8, fUj-s. 2). — This is an account of an attempt by the author to secure, 

 under lab(»ratory conditions, records on a larger scale than heretofore made 

 of tlie growth of plants while allowing the extension of observation thereon 

 to cover at least three or four days. Though the work of testing as yet carried 

 out is regarded as preliminary, it is claimed that satisfactory results have been 

 ■*)btained. 



FIELD CROPS. 



Report of agronomy department, M. A. Beeson (Oklahoma >^ta. Rpt. 1919, 

 pp. 18-26). — A study of the effect of lime and organic matter on impervious 

 l^irkland upland soil showed that in this type of s(»il greater root development 

 of katir plants had taken place than where such plants had been grown 

 on the Vernon and the Yahola soil types. It was found also that during a 

 period of 3 years there had been a movement of organic matter into the second 

 foot of soil on plats where barnyard manure and lime had been applied. 



In a test with continuous wheat culture, with and without manure, in 

 progress for 20 years, an average of 4.6 tons of manure per acre applied annually 

 to the manured plats yielded an average of 22.91 bu. of wheat per acre as com- 

 pared with 13.39 bu. secured on the unmanured plats. 



The following varieties, given with their yields, ranked first in variety tests 

 with different crops: Oats, Nicholson Improved 50.1 bu., Fulghum 42.3 bu. ; 

 wheat, Fulcaster 20.4 bu., Kanred 20 bu. ; rye, Giant 24.7 bu., Abruzzi 1S.2 bu. ; 

 barley, White Club 40.1 bu., Kingfl.sher 34 bu. ; grain sorghum, Darso 12.75 bu., 

 and Shrock kafir 10 bu. per acre. The highest yield in green forage, 2.75 

 tons per acre, was secured from Blackhull White kafir of the grain sor- 

 ghums, while Dwarf Ashburn cane led with 5.5 tons among the sweet sorghums. 

 The following leading varieties of crops are reported, without yield: Whip- 

 poorwill Blackeye cowpea, Tennessee Red peanut, and Ohio .soy bean. 



In a crop rotation and fertility test, in which cotton, oats, cowpeas, and 

 grain sorghum were grown, oats gave the greatest yield on the plats treated with 

 manure and raw rock phosphate, and darso on the plats treated with phosphate, 

 and on which the vines from the preceding cowjjea crop had been turned under. 



An alfalfa fertility test was conducted to determine the value of barnyard 

 mainire and lime on upland alfalfa. In 1918 the check plat yielded 2,021 "lbs., 

 rhe lime plat 3,210 lbs., the manure plat G,817 lbs., and the manure and lime 

 plat 7,662 lbs. of hay per acre. A comparison of lime and gypsum for upland 

 alfalfa showed in 1918 that lime was superior to gypsum as a stimulative agent. 



Results in plant breeding work showed that a cotton selection designated as 

 Row 44 outyielded all other varieties at the station. This strain had a staple 

 of from 1 to 1 i\i in. and from 36 to 37 per cent of lint. 



The standard Blackhull White kafir, selected for dwarfness, uniformitv and 

 high yielding qualities, proved superior to any kafir grown at the station. A 

 <ulture test with kafir emphasized the importance of keeping down all weeds 

 from the growing crop. A plat, not plowed but with the grass kept down with- 



