FIELD CROPS. 627 



Different species of Gossypinm differ greatly in their liability to this poison 

 under the same conditions without any relation to their temi)erature accelera- 

 tion of growth. Hybrids therefore showed most various growth relationships 

 in F2 and there were indications that a Mendel ian segregation may be found- 



The culture of cotton in Egypt, Ahmed el Alfi, trans, by A. Sebbagh and 

 C. Lf:piNEY (Dir. CI en. Ayr., Com. ct Colon. [Tiinis'\, Mem. et Docs., No. 6 

 (WIS), pp. 11+134, figs. 2). — The 3 parts of this book treat of the cultivation 

 and seed production, diseases, and insect enemies of cotton, and general ob- 

 servations on the industry in Egypt, and also include statistical data. 



The relation of cotton buying to cotton growing, O. F. Cook (U. S. Dept. 

 Agr. Bill. 60 (19lJt), pp. 21). — This bulletin contains discussions and sugges- 

 tions under the following headings: The need of discrimination in buying; va- 

 rieties deteriorate by losing uniformity; careful farmers deserve the higher 

 prices; discrimination in buying more important than high prices; development 

 of new long-staple districts; commercial causes of deterioration of cotton; de- 

 terioration of the Sea Island cotton crop ; limitations and injustice of the pres- 

 ent system of buying; uniformity best determined by field inspection; field in- 

 spection in the interest of manufacturers; other causes of uneven fiber; and 

 economic peculiarities of the cotton industry. 



Tests of the waste, tensile strength, and bleaching qualities of the dif- 

 ferent grades of cotton as standardized by the United States Government, 

 N. A. Cobb {TJ. 8. Dept. Agr. Did. 62 (WUf), pp- 8, fig. i).— This is a report of 

 progress upon some spinning tests that are being made at about a dozen cotton 

 mills in the United States to determine qualities of cotton fiber that may be 

 used in fixing market grades. 



Some results obtained thus far show the average difference in percentage of 

 visible waste between " Western upland " and "Atlantic States upland " to 

 be between 1 and 2 per cent. Preliminary tests show the yarn from the two 

 classes of cotton to be about equal in strength. The mill waste in the experi- 

 ments to date varied from about 4 per cent in "middling fair" to about 11 

 per cent in " good ordinary " cotton. 



Elephant grass, O. Staff {Roy. Bot. Gard. Keio, Bui. Misc. Inform., No. 7 

 {1912), pp. 300-316; Rhodesia Agr. Jour., 10 {1913), No. 3, pp. 362-368, pis. S).— 

 This article gives the history, distribution, vernacular names, uses, and chemi- 

 cal analysis of Pennisetum purpureum. It is noted that the analysis indicates a 

 feeding value similar to maize fodder, and a rather high fertilizing value. 

 The plant is a better drought resistor and gives larger yields than Paspalum. 



Comparison of phonolite meal (potassium silicate) with forty per cent 

 potassium salt in fertilizing hops, F. Wagner {Prakt. Bl. Pfianzcnhau u. 

 Schutz, n. ser., 11 {1913), Nos. 4, pp. 52, 53; 5, pp. 67-70; 6, pp. 77-82, fig. 1).— 

 The use of 143 kg. of K2O in the form of 40 per cent salt was followed by an 

 Increase in yield of hops per hectare over untreated plats of 763 kg., whereas 

 the same amount of K2O as silicate (phonolite) showed a gain of 245 kg. 

 Using half the quantities of K2O, the respective gains were 46G and 92 kg. 

 The largest yield gave the largest net profit per hectare. 



Origin and home of the cultivated oats, A. Schulz {ZtscJir. Gesam. 

 Oetreideiv., 5 {1913), No. 5, pp. 139-142).— In this article the author divides the 

 species into 7 subspecies and discusses the appearance of these in various coun- 

 tries in which they seem native. 



Report on oat culture experiments in Saxony, 1910-1912, Steglich 

 {Sachs. Landw. Ztsclvr., 61 {1913), Nos. 11, pp. 1U-U8; 12, pp. 161, 162).— 

 This reports the results of varietal and cultural tests of oats in progress, with 

 special reference to the influence of change of soil and climatic conditions on 

 yields. 



