1919] EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 527 



FIELD CROPS. 



American husbandry, a much overlooked publication, L. Carrier {Jour. 

 Amer. Soc. Agron., 11 {1919), No. 5, pp. 206-211).— The author briefly reviews a 

 2-volunie treatise on American agriculture issued in London in 1775 under 

 authorship of "An American", and believed to be the work of John ilitchell. 

 The publication is said to deal with the soil, climate, and agricultural practices 

 and products of the English colonies in America, including Nova Scotia, Canada, 

 New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, the 

 Carolinas, Florida, and the West Indies, and to have been written largely for 

 use in England rather than in America. The books are believed to be of con- 

 siderable value botli from an agricultural and historical point of view. 



[Report of field crops work in Florida, 1918], J. M. Scott, B. F. Floyd, 

 J. E. TtiRLiNGTON, and J. B. Thompson {Fla. Sta. Rpt. 1918, pp. 23-26, 28-39, 

 84-93, figs. 5).— This describes the continuation of work along the same general 

 lines as previously noted (E. S. R., 39, p. 434). 



Replanjing Japanese cane in 1915 on variously fertilized plats which had 

 grown the crop since 1909 resulted in yields of green material ranging from 

 18 tons per acre for the plat receiving dried blood and acid phosphate to 31.9 

 tons for that receiving muriate of potash and acid phosphate. A decided de- 

 crease in yield occurred on all plats in 1916 and a still greater decrease in 

 1917. Fertilizer experiments with Japanese cane begun in 1914 resulted in an 

 average maximum yield for the period of 1914 to 1917, inclusive, of 17.9 tons 

 for the plat receiving barnyard manure at the rate of 30 2-liorse wagonloads 

 per acre. 



In fertilizer tests with sweet potatoes, 3-year average yields were secured 

 ranging from 86 bu. per acre for the plat receiving dried blood and acid phos- 

 phate to 260.9 bu. for that receiving sulphate of ammonia, muriate of potash, 

 and acid phosi^hate. The maximum corn yield, 23.31 bu. per acre, was secured 

 from the plat receiving dried blood, sulphate of potash, and acid phosphate. 



A series of experiments begun near Hastings in 1917 is described, in which 

 observations were made upon the potash requirements of potatoes and of the 

 relative value of different sources of phosphorus for potatoes. The effect of 

 the different fertilizer treatments upon a cover crop of cowpeas following the 

 potatoes is also noted. In the potash experiments complete fertilizers con- 

 taining 1, 3, and 5 per cent of potash were compared with each other and with 

 fertilizers containing no potash. The phosphate carriers compared included 

 acid phosphate, finely ground pebble phosphate rock, and soft phosphate rock. 

 Tabulated data are presented showing the yield of potatoes obtained under the 

 different treatments arranged according to grades. Based on the total yields se- 

 cured the potash plats greatly outyielded tlie plats without potash, the yields in- 

 creasing with an increase in the amount of potash applied. No difference in the 

 appearance of the cover crop was noted on either the potash plats or those 

 without potash. Acid phosphate gave better results both in stand and yield 

 than raw rock phosphate, while on the plats receiving no phosphorus the potato 

 plants ai*e said to have averaged fully 50 per cent smaller in size than those on 

 the acid phosphate plats, while marked differences in color and maturity were 

 also noted. The cover crop gave much the same results as the potatoes, the 

 vines being only from 50 to 60 per cent as high on the no-phosphate plats as 

 on those receiving phosphate applications. 



Variety tests with cotton are described, in which yields were secured ranging 

 from 336 lbs. of seed cotton per acre for Sosnowski to 726 lbs. for Cook Im- 

 proved, 35 and 48 per cent of the total yields, respectively, being secured at the 

 first picking. 



