FIELD CKOPS. 723 



rainfall because of the lighter texture of the soil. On wire-grass land during 

 favorable years the crop production is almost as good as on short-grass land, 

 and during dry years much better crops are produced on wire-grass land than 

 on the other type. On bunch-grass land the soil texture is such as to insure 

 the penetration of pi-actically all the water that falls. Crop growth on this 

 land is much less luxuriant than on the short-grass land when the latter is 

 well supplied with moisture, but in the ordinary season crops on bunch-grass 

 land seldom suffer from drought, having a larger storage reservoir to draw 

 upon. 



In general, crop failures are said to occur oftenest on short-grass land and 

 least often on bunch-grass laud, but from the visible characters of the soil set- 

 tlers are disposed to select the short-grass land, leaving the bunch-grass land 

 for later occupancy. 



The economic sig'nificance of natural cross-fertilization in India, A. 

 Howard, Gabrielle L. C. Howard, and A. Rahman {Mem. Dept. Agr. India, 

 Bot. 8er., 3 {1910), No. 6, pp. 281-330, pis. 13).— The authors record observa- 

 tions on the natural crossing of a number of prominent Indian plants and 

 discuss the significance of naturally produced hybrids on the improvement of 

 crops. 



In every case individual plants were grown, and at least 5 distinct natural 

 crosses of wheat and several of peas, both of Pisum arvense and P. sativum, 

 vetches, and beans were found, but none of barley, lentils, chick-peas, or crota- 

 laria. All of these plants are supposed to be close fertilized and natural cross- 

 ing is believed to be quite rare. Of the crops which have open flowers, such 

 as tobacco, Ambari hemp, flax, sesame, cotton, and poppy, natural crosses were 

 found to be quite common. Of the monoecious and dioecious plants investigated 

 natural crossing is said to bo very frequent ; in fact, it is difHcult to prevent. 



The bearing that natural crosses have on plant breeding and on the intro- 

 duction of plants in any new locality is discussed, and the authors advise the 

 study of aberent forms, many of which are liable to be Mendelian combina- 

 tions. Attention is also called to the necessity of protecting plants from foreign 

 pollen in breeding experiments. 



Notes on the cultivation of an edible mushroom, L. Matruchot {Compt. 

 Rend. Acad. Sci. [Paris], 151 (1910), No. 26, pp. 1376-1378, fig. 1). — The author 

 describes a method by v/hich he has secured pure fruiting cultures of PJeurotus 

 coniucopioidcs. 



Seeds and plants imported during the period from October 1 to December 

 31, 1909.— Inventory No. 21 {U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus. Bui. 205, 

 pp. 54). — This is an inventory of about 400 miscellaneous introductions by the 

 Foreign Seed and Plant Introductions. 



FIELD CROPS. 



Growing' crops in western Nebraska, W. P. Snyder and W. W. Burr (Ne- 

 braska Sta. Bui. lis, pp. 5-69, figs. 17).— A revision of Bulletin 109 (E. S. R., 

 21, p. 129), including results for 1909 and 1910. 



In 1909 winter wheat on bench laud ranged in yield from 22.8 bu. per acre 

 when sown September 30 to 42.S bu. when so^\ti September 14. During the 

 period 1907-1910 " summer tilled land produced 6 bu. per acre more than twice 

 that produced on the laud not summer tilled," but seed is required for only one 

 crop in two years in case of alternate summer tillage. 



Plats receiving thin seeding stooled sufficiently to make up for any deficiency 

 in the amount of seed when seed bed and soil moisture conditions were favor- 



