1919] FIELD CROPS. 227 



Forcing air, lieated to a temperature of from IGO to 180° F. tlirough cribbed 

 corn reduced the moisture content from more than 30 to less than 10 per cent 

 at an ostiiiiated cost of 3 cts. per bushel for fuel and power. 



Iowa lO;; and Iowa 105 oats continue to show a marked superiority over com- 

 mon varieties in cooperative tests throughout the State. An annual white sweet 

 clover, said to have been isolated for the lirst time at Ames during the winter 

 of 1915-lG, when seeded in the field made a growth of 4.5 ft. within 3.5 

 months, as compared with a growth of only 4 in. for red clover, 9 in. for annual 

 yellow sweet clover, and 14 in. for biennial white sweet clover all seeded at the 

 same time and subjected to identical conditions. 



Winter wheat seeded as late as November 21 survived with practically no 

 winterkilling, this being attributed to the fact that the seed sprouted very 

 little or not at all before winter conditions checked growth. 



In germination tests of weed seeds buried in the soil in the fall of 1911, ten 

 species gernuuated readily in April, 1918. Among these 30 per cent were jim- 

 son weed, 25 per cent burdock, 20 per cent Indian mallow or butterprint, and 

 18 per cent horse nettle. "Weeds were found to transpire a large amount of 

 water which should go to cultivated crops. Rape, wheat, and oats when prop- 

 erly planted crowded f>ut quack grass. 



Observations on a number of varieties and strains of oats grown in the 

 nursery in an effort to secure sorts resistant to crown and black stem rust led 

 to the discovery of Green Russian and White Russian, both resistant to stem 

 rust, wliile the latter is also said to be quite resistant to crown rust. 



Variety testing and crop improvement, C. S. Knight {Nevada Sta. Rpt. 

 JD18, pp. 23-30, figs. 2). — Variety tests with wheat, oats, barley, and forage and 

 I'oot crops are described in continuation of similar work previously noted (E. S. 

 R., 39, p. 12S). 



The average yield of wheat varieties grown in 100-ft. rows for four years 

 ranged from 2,720 lbs. of grain per acre for White Australian to 3,157 lbs, for 

 f'olorada No. 50. The superiority in quality of Marquis and Blue Stem, yield- 

 ing 2,970 and 2,979 lbs. per acre, respectively, is said to more than offset the 

 difference in yield between these varieties and the highest producing soi'ts. Of 

 the oat varieties tested for three years Early Mountain No. 2 was first with an 

 average yield of 2,843 lbs. per acre, and was affected less by the shattering of 

 the seed, due to blasting of the panicles before ripening, than any of the other 

 varieties tested. Barley yields ranged from 2,708 lbs. for White Moravian to 

 2,926 lbs. for California Feed for varieties grown four years, while Swedish 

 Gold grown for two years produced on the average 4,821 lbs. The leading 

 varieties of cereals tested in plats during 1916 and 1917, together with their 

 respective yields per acre, were as follows : White Club wheat 2.641 lbs., 

 Great Dakota oats 1,037 lbs., and Chevalier barley 2,135 lbs. In tests con- 

 ducted in cooperation with the Truckee-Carson reclamation project experiment 

 farm. Little Club, Marquis, and Sonora were found to be the highest yielding 

 wheat varieties when compared with the local sorts, while Beldi barley out- 

 yielded the local variety. 



The total yield of alfalfa for two cuttings ranged from 4.57 tons per acre 

 for Grimm to 6.04 tons for Australia 23,753. The pror)ortion of leaves to 

 stems varied from about 34 to 40 per cent. 



Improved Leaming corn produced 28,422 lbs. of silage as compared with 

 46,240 lbs. for Russian sunflower. The latter is said to have made silage 

 .superior in quality to that from corn. Sudan grass surpassed the millets 

 and field peas both in forage and seed production. A yield of 8 tons per acre 

 of excellent silage was secured in 1917. The average yield of seed for the 

 past 3 years amounted to 1,218 11)S. per acre. 



