1919] FIELD CROPS. 439 



of the corn as loaded, the length of the voyage, the season of the year, the 

 weather conditions during shipment, and the position of the cargo in the vessel. 

 Daily obserA^ations and tests were made of those cargoes accompanied to Europe 

 from the time the corn was put into the vessels until it was discharged, elec- 

 trical-resistance thermometers being placed at definite points in the cargo at 

 the time of loading. As the thermometers were put in place, 3-qt. samples of 

 corn were taken from the grain surrounding each thermometer with which to 

 determine changes in the quality and condition of the corn during the voyage. 

 One-half of each sample was retained for analyses, and the remainder was 

 placed in a crossed wire container fastened to the thermometer and recovered 

 as the corn was unloaded. Information concerning the studies made on each 

 cargo is presented in considerable detail supplemented by tabulated data, dia- 

 grams, and graphs. The results may be summarized as follows : 



Corn which was dry and in a sound condition when shipped arrived in 

 Europe in a lilve sound condition, regardless of the position in which it was 

 stowed, the time of year in which it was shipped, or the length of the ocean 

 voyage. The higher the percentage of moisture in the corn when shipped, the 

 greater was the danger of spoilage during the voyage. Various contributing 

 factors also worked with the moisture in causing spoilage, a combination of 

 two or more such factors resulting in much greater spoilage than one factor 

 alone. 



" It may reasonably be expected in other export shipments, if the quality 

 and condition of the corn and the shipping conditions are similar to those 

 found in the nine cargoes described, that the quality and condition of the corn 

 on arrival at European ports will be the same as in those cargoes. As the 

 quality, condition, and temperature of corn to be exported can be determined 

 before it is delivered on board the vessel, and as the season of the year during 

 which shipment is to be made, the place of stowage, and the probable length 

 of voyage are known or can be ascertained, an estimate of the condition of 

 the corn on arrival can be made in advance." 



Community cotton improvement in North Carolina, R. Y. Winters (Jour. 

 Amer. Soc. Agron., 11 (1919), No. 3, pp. 121-12^). — This paper, a contribution 

 from the North Carolina Extension Service, briefly outlines the methods em- 

 ployed and some of the results secured in community cotton improvement work 

 inaugurated in the State in 1914. It is stated that 16 communities in 11 counties 

 have been organized for this purpose, and that during the past three years good 

 strains of cotton have been introduced which have produced an income of from 

 $10 to $60 per acre more than the varieties previously grown in the community. 



Potato seed certification in New Hampshire, F. S. Prince (New Hampshire 

 Sta. Circ. 19 (1918), pp. 3-10). — The advantages of potato seed certification are 

 discussed and the requirements for certification in the State outlined as approved 

 by the New Hampshire Potato Growers' Association. 



The effect of the environment on the loss of weight and germination of 

 seed potatoes during storage, O. Butler (Jour. Amer. Soc. Agron., 11 (1919), 

 No. 3, pp. 114-118). — A study of the effect of temperature, oxygen supply, and 

 humidity on the germination and loss of weight of stored seed potatoes con- 

 ducted at the New Hampshire Experiment Station led to the conclusion that 

 germination can be satisfactorily retarded by lowering the temperature to 3.74° O. 

 (38.7° F.), or by reducing the oxygen supply to a point corresponding to 

 storage in " dead air " ; that germination can be more effectively retarded by 

 storage in " dead air " at a mean temperature of 9.31° than by storage in free 

 air at 3.74° ; and that loss of weight is markedly affected by the relative 

 humidity of the air, saturated air and dry air both to be avoided. 

 140363°— 19 4 



