FIELD CROPS. 135 



Alfalfa promised to be valuable in the soutliea stern part of the section, but 

 through the northwestern portion it had little promise except when grown in 

 depressions known as swales, on beaches around lakes, and especially in 

 canyoija. Kansas and Texas grown seed gave the best results. Turkestan 

 alfalfa has so far been a poor yielder. 



Thecowpea, which is valuable for rotation with sorghum, promises to take 

 the pla<-e of alfalfa on the uplands. The moth bean compared favorably with 

 the cowpea in yield of hay and was apparently more drought resistant. The 

 sciy bean and the nunig bean did not give very satisfactory results. 



Grains and forage crops for northern Wisconsin, R, A. Moore and E. J. 

 li'ELWicHE {Wifsconsin tita. Bui. Jdl, pp. S-23, fli/a. 5). — The results secured with 

 different grains and forage plants on the substation farms in northern Wiscon- 

 sin in I'JOG and 1907 are reported and discussed. It has been observed in gen- 

 eral that the sandy soils of this region are especially adapted to growing sugar 

 beets, corn, oats, soy beans, and clovers when well manured and a proper crop 

 rotation is followed. The clay soils when well worked and drained are suitable 

 for growing winter wheat, barley, oats, peas, clovei", and mixed grasses. On 

 heavy clay soil alsike clover has yielded as high as 8 bu. of seed per acre. 



The early varieties of corn gave good yields on rich sand and clay loam soils, 

 while the medium dent varieties produced an abundance of fodder but were too 

 late for good yields of well-matured ear corn. Smut Nose and Yellow Flint 

 matured well and seemed to be the preferable varieties for the region at present. 

 Barley was iirofitable only on old well-subdued clay and loam soils. The heavy, 

 bearded, stiff-strawed, six-rowed varieties have done best. 



Wyoming- forag-e plants and their chemical composition, H. G. Knight, 

 F. E. Hepner, and A. Nelson {WijomiiKj »S7«. Bui. 76', pp. 11!), figs. 50). — These 

 studies are in continuation of work previously reported (E. S. R., 18, p. 229). 

 Of a total of 152 analyses of native and introduced forage plants grown in Wyo- 

 ming, 72 are included in this bulletin. Heretofore the plants collected for the 

 chemical work were all gathered at about an altitude of 7,000 to 8,000 ft., but 

 for this bulletin the plants were collected from various altitudes ranging from 

 about 4,500 to 11,000 ft. 



It was found that the crude fiber in the Wyoming native gx'asses runs higher on 

 an average than the crude fiber in eastern grasses, but apparently the variations 

 in altitude alone have little or no effect upon this constituent and it is believed 

 that when the crude fiber content is lower in forage grown at low altitudes other 

 causes than altitude must operate to produce this general change. 



The forage plants analyzed in general have shown a high percentage of nitro- 

 gen, averaging about 9 per cent of the water-free material when calculated as 

 crude protein. Analyses made, of soils show on the contrary a marked deficiency 

 in nitrogen content. Thirteen grasses collected at elevations from 10,000 to 

 11,000 ft. contained on an average 4.85 per cent of ash, 2.64 per cent of crude 

 fat, 32.32 per cent of crude fiber, 10.95 per cent of crude protein, and 49.24 per 

 cent of nitrogen-free extract. This was very close to the average comp(,»sition 

 of forage plants collected at lower altitudes, but the crude protein was about 2 

 per cent higher. Downy oat grass, collected at 10,000 ft., contained 9.09 per 

 cent of crude protein, while another sample collected at 11,000 ft. contained 

 12.20 per cent. Other samples are cited but the number of plants obtained at 

 different altitudes is not considered large enough to warrant general conclusions. 



A number of miscellaneous analyses, including analyses of grains, straw, and 

 mixed hay, are also recorded. 



Alfalfa studies, P. K. Blinn {Colorado Sta. BuL 128, pp. 3-7, pis. 5).— The 

 station has made a selection of seed from promising alfalfa plants and has 

 established au alfalfa nursery containing 64 different varieties of promising 



