34 EXPERIMENT STATION BECORD. 



With oats it is noted that no definite conclusions could be drawn from the 

 results of crossing with Chinese Hull-less. "The appearance of black kernels 

 in the progeny from a cross of 2 white-kernelled parents indicates heterozygo- 

 tism In 1 or both parent strains, which, howe\er, does not seem to have a con- 

 sistent effect in the various crosses. ... In one of the crosses there is evi- 

 dence of a Mendelian ratio between the hulled and hull-less character, but in 

 others such a proportional distribution is wholly lacking." 



[Fertilizer experiments], A. W. K. de Jong {Dept. Landh., Nijv. en Handel 

 [Dutch East Indies], Meded. Agr. Chem. Lab., 191S, No. S, pp. 1-49).— In fer- 

 tilizer experiments with rice, cassava, soy beans, maize, and peanuts, better 

 results were obtained with maize with double superphosphate than with 

 Thomas slag or guano. The results with bone meal were even better than 

 with the double phosphate, while barnyard manure seemed to lack the phos- 

 phorous to produce the maximum yields. Cassava responded best to nitrogen. 

 Peanuts were apparently benefited by barnyard manure plus bone meal. In 

 general the phosphates seemed to give the best results. 



Progress report of cooperative irrigation experiments at California Uni- 

 versity Farm, Davis, California, 1909-1912, S. H. Beckett (U. 8. Dept. Affr. 

 Bid. 10, pp. 21, figs. 7). — These experiments were for the purpose of determin- 

 ing the water requirements of various standard crops. 



With alfalfa, the results indicated that in open, well-drained soil, typical of 

 that found in the floor of the Sacramento Valley, the general tendency is toward 

 an increase in yield of alfalfa with the increased amounts of water applied up to 

 at least 48 in. ; and for such conditions as are found on the university farm 

 the limit beyond which the increase in yield will not pay for increased cost of 

 applying the water is in the neighborhood of 30 in. 



" Without irrigation spring-sown alfalfa is uncertain in Sacramento Valley, 

 and under conditions of normal rainfall and moderate climate not more than 

 one-half of the stand can be expected to survive through the summer. Heavy 

 spring irrigations, when followed by long periods throughout the summer with- 

 out water, did not benefit alfalfa. Examination of the root growth under these 

 conditions shows that water applied to the little plants in the early spring pro- 

 duces a root growth outwardly along the surface of the soil rather than down- 

 ward, and when this is followed by long dry periods, the soil drying out leaves 

 the young plant stranded above the moisture zone. Far better results were 

 obtained by delaying irrigation until the root growth was well established, and 

 even until the little plants seemed to be stunted and suffering for moisture. . . . 

 Late and very late summer irrigations tend to produce sturdier plants and 

 heavier yields the following summer. After the root growth is well established, 

 the gi'owth may then be forced by frequent and, if the soil will stand it, heavy 

 irrigations." 



In studying the best time to irrigate alfalfa it was found that 2 applications 

 between cuttings gave larger yields and kept the plants in better condition 

 than when the same amount of water was applied in one irrigation, either just 

 before or just after each cutting, but it was concluded that the extra yield 

 was not large enough to make it a profitable method. 



In the case of barley, 3 years of irrigation experiments showed that the 

 application of water always gave a profit and that a late application gave better 

 yields than an early one. The results of irrigating maize for 1910 and 1911 

 showed little advantage due to irrigation, although in 1910 there was a slight 

 profit with 1 and 2 applications of water. The cost of irrigating from 1 to 

 3 times during these 2 seasons ranged from $1.40 to $3.90 per acre .with the 

 furrow method. Similar results were obtained with White Durra sorghum, but 



