i'>-"»J riKLi) CROPS. ' 135 



I lie itlnnts somewhat earlier than wiieii tlie seeding is tiiaile later. Of (iitTcreiit 

 crops tested the hest results were secured witli Marquis wheat, Hamicheii 

 liarley, Swedisli Seleet and Ahundanee oats, and Rural New Yorker, Ncited 

 tieni, and Late Ohio potatoes. 



KxperiiiH'iits with buckwheat, F. W. Stkmi'I.e {\\'C'<t Vinjuiia t<tu. Bui. Ill 

 (tiUU), pp. ,i-I.i). — Tlu' results of earlier experiuienls with buckwheat by the 

 station, here I'eviewed, ami which pertained largely to tlie use of fertilizers, 

 liave been previously noted (E. S. U., 15, p. 405). This bulletin presents data 

 secured in work carried oii from 1914 to 1919, and which embraced variety 

 tests, to^;ether with experiments ou the preparation of the seed bed, rate and 

 method of set'ding, and the use of buckwheat as a nurse crop. 



Land plowed May 6 and seeded July IS gave as an average for three years 

 all increase of S.G5 bu. per acre over land i)lowed July 1 and seeded July IS. 

 AVhile the results wei'e not strictly com'paral)le, they are regarded as indicating 

 that broadcasting and drilling buckwheat are of equal value. The yields in- 

 creased gradually \\ith the increase tn the rate of seeding from 2 to 6 pk. per 

 acre, but the use of 4 pk. seemed in general most satisfactory. Tlu; average 

 yield for four years of Japanese buckwheat was greater by 3.7S bu. per acre 

 than the average yield of Silver Hull, and growing the two varieties mixed 

 did not give a belter average yield than was secured from growing Japanese 

 liy itself. Early and late plowing did not seem to affect the results sec\u"ed from 

 dilTereiit rales and methods of seeding and from the varieties comi)are(l. One 

 year's results did not indicate buckwheat to be a good nurse crop. 



The inudiiied rag doll and germinator box, B. H. Dudule.ston {Imlinna 

 t^ta. Bui. 236 (1920), pp. 3-12, fiys. 7). — A description is given of a modification 

 of the rag d()Il method of testing seed corn. The modilied rag doll described 

 is rec<jni'mended to supplement the sawdust limestone germinator previously 

 noted (E. S. K., 40, p. 526) . Detailed descriptions are given on the preparation 

 and use of the doll and germinator box. The great advantage of the method 

 as pointed out is the detection of not only the dead, partly dead, or weak ears, 

 but also of those that are infected although germinating, and thus making it 

 possible to obtain seed corn of high vigor together with freedom of disease. 



Comparison of peanut meal, cottonseed meal, velvet bean meal, am- 

 monium sulphate, and nitrate of soda as fertilizers for corn and cotton, 

 E. F. Cautiien {Alabama tsta. Bui. 208 (1919), pp. 3-6). — In these experiments, 

 conducted at the station in 1917 and 1918, corn received in addition to 240 lbs. 

 of acid i)liosphate per acre either 100 lbs. of nitrate of soda, SO lbs. of am- 

 nioiuum suli)hate, 200 lbs. cottonseed meal, 310 11)S. peanut n\eal, or 400 lbs. of 

 velvet bean meal. The quantity of nitrogen furnished by the different materials 

 was practically the sanwj for all plats. In the cotton experiments in adilition 

 to a ba.sal applicati(m of IGO lbs. acid phosphate and 20 lbs. sulphate of potash 

 per acre either 140 lbs. of nitrate of soda, 351 lbs. of cottonseed meal, 452 lbs. 

 of peanut meal, or 754 ll>s. of velvet bean meal per acre, furnishing practically 

 equal (piantities of nitrogen, was used. The results are given in tallies with 

 brief comment. 



In compjiring the average yields of corn secured and assuming the avail- 

 ability of nitrogen in nitrate of soda as 100 per cent, the relative availability 

 of the nitrogen in the different substances was approximately as follows : Sul- 

 phate of annnonia 94 per cent, peanut meal 84, cottonseed meal G5. and velvet 

 bean nteal 28 per cent. Similarly the results in the test with cotton indicated 

 an availal)ility of 93.8 per cent for cottonseed meal, 90.9 for peanut meal, and 

 78.7 per cent for velvet bean meal. It is pointed out that the cotton jilant, 

 which received all of its fertilizer before planting, has a longer growing period 



