FIELD CROPS. 335 



G6n6tique Paris, Compt. Rend, ct Raps., 10] 1, pp. 319-821). — "A pure variety of 

 cereal must be regarded as a natural type which it is impossible to modify by 

 any direct action. The hereditary characters of such a type depend on the 

 ancestry; the variable characters depend on the conditions of life; selection 

 of individuals is without effect. By the selection of large grains an increase 

 in the yield may be obtained under certain conditions and within limits which 

 our experiments have not yet fixed. The only means by which improvements 

 can be effected are by bringing to perfection cultural methods, in the production 

 of new types by hybridization, and in taking advantage of fortuitous variations, 

 of which many owe their origin to natural hybridization." 



Right- and left-handedness in cereals, R. II. Compton (77. Conf. Internal. 

 G{'nt'tique Paris, Compt. Rend, ct Raps., 1911, pp. 328-331).— The author gives 

 the results of observations of not less than 19,165 barley seedlings, 4G9 oat 

 seedlings, and 6,180 maize seedlings, his conclusions being substantially as 

 previously noted (P:. S. R., 27, p. 236). 



Fertilizing cereals, A. Zaragijeta {Prog. Agr. y Pecuario, 18 {1912), Nos. 

 788, pp. 5.',7-550; 7S9, pp. 563-567, figs. 10).— In fertilizing wheat a yield of 

 2,120 kg. of grain per hectare (1,887 lbs. per acre) followed an application of 

 360 kg. sui^erphosphate, 120 kg. ammonium sulphate, 100 kg. nitrate of soda, 

 and 100 kg. potassium chlorid; 1,480 kg. was produced without the potassium 

 chlorid and 1.050 kg. without any fertilizer. The apparent increases in yields 

 by the use of fertilizers ranged from 1,247 to 2,967 kg. per hectare with barley, 

 730 to 1,720 kg. with oats, and 320 to 1,905 kg. with rye. 



On the cultivation and inoculation of legumes, A. Eichinger {Pflanzer, 8 

 {1912), Xo. 4, pp. 190-219). — This article discusses the cultivation and useful- 

 ness of the following legumes: As green manures, beggar weed {Desmodium 

 tortuosum). Jack beans (Canavallia), soy beans, cowpeas, red clover, peanuts, 

 velvet beans {Miicuna utiUs), Japan clover {Lespedeza striata), Medicago ar- 

 torea, Mexican clover {Richardssonia [scahra] glahra), Indigofera galegoides, 

 indigo {Tephrosia purpurea), and yellow trefoil {Medicago lupuUna) ; alfalfa, 

 beggar weed, red clover, white clover, crimson clover, and cowpeas as forage 

 plants; and soy beans, garden beans, lentils, and Jack beans {Canavallia ensi- 

 formis) as grain crops. 



Experiments in inoculation showed in general a considerable increase by the 

 addition of bacteria, whether by pure cultures, the introduction of tubercles, or 

 otherwise. 



Phosphorus for alfalfa fields, J. E. Wing {Breeder's Gaz., 64 {1913), No. 5, 

 p. 89, fig. 1). — This article relates instances in which annual applications of 400 

 lbs. of acid phosphate per acre as a top-dressing greatly increased the yields 

 of hay, in some cases approaching 200 per cent. The influence of the pho<3- 

 phorus is ascribed not only to its direct manurial value but also to its favorable 

 influence on bacterial development. 



Alfalfa in South Carolina, A. G. Smith {South Carolina Sta. Circ. 19, pp. 

 22, figs. 3). — The author discusses the following topics with special reference to 

 South Carolina conditions : Who should plant alfalfa ; alfalfa versus other hay 

 crops; adaptation of soils; injurious weeds, including crab grass, Bermuda 

 grass, and nut grass; preceding crops; seed and time of seeding; preparation of 

 the land; liming; fertilization before and after planting; inoculation; planting; 

 cutting and curing the hay; pasturing; cultivating; diseases; yields and life of 

 alfalfa ; and reseeding an old field. 



Mosaic inheritance in the hybrids of barley, L. Blabinghem {Compt. Rend. 

 Acad. Sci. [Paris], 156 {1913), No. 13, pp. 1025-1027) .—The author presents 

 data on the behavior of the transmission of the awn and awnless characters 

 in crossing 5 varieties of barley and their reciprocals, viz, Eordeum distichuni 



