328 EXPEETMENT STATION RECORD. 



to 60 lbs. of seed of early Amber sorghum per acre are sufficient when this crop 

 is sown broadcast for foi-age. 



Three cuttings from a one-sixth aero plat of alfalfa amounted to a yield of 

 3.G5 tons of dry hay per acre in 190(5. In 1007, nearly 4J tons per acre were 

 secured on the same plat. 



Observations on nurse crops for alfalfa, V. A. Clark {Arizona Sla. Bui. 

 57, jji). 2s'i-2S7). — In the full of 1905 alfalfa was planted in pure culture, and 

 with rye, wheat, barley, and oats as nurse crops. The following March the 

 height of the plants in the pure culture was from 15 to IT in., while in the nurse 

 crops the alfalfa varied from 12 in. down, being generally not more than 6 or 8 

 in. high. The plants grown with nurse crops uniformly had few shoots as 

 compai-ed with those grown alone. The weights of 10 average alfalfa plants 

 from the various plats were as follows: Ture culture, ordinary stand, 75 gm. ; 

 pure culture, stand too thick, 21.3 gm. ; rye, two-thirds stand, 10.2 gm. ; wheat, 

 one-half stand, 12.5 gm. ; wheat, full stand, 2 gm. Alfalfa roots in pure culture 

 had reached a depth of about 18 in., when those grown with nurse crops had 

 reached to a depth of only 12 in. These results were confirmed in a field test. 



It was observed that the cereals grown as nurse crops or as intercultures did 

 not tiller, making only one stem from each seed, while rye growing as pure 

 culture stooled abundantly, one ordinary stool being found with 23 and another 

 with 39 stalks. 



Disk-harrowing alfalfa, R. H. Forbes (Arizona Sta. Bill. 57, pp. 256-260, 

 fiff. /).— The principal benefits of disking alfalfa are enumerated as splitting 

 and spreading the crowns, thereby causing new growth, destroying the egg de- 

 posits and larvjie of injurious insects, destroying weeds, and breaking up den.se 

 soils and especially the silt-blanket deposited by muddy irrigating water. It is 

 estimated that disking will increase the average crop in Arizona 10 to 20 per 

 cent. 



Observations were made on the reduction of the yield resulting from the 

 silt-blankets, which are often 3 to 4 in. thick. A field near Yuma showed a de- 

 preciation of 6.3 per cent in the second cutting, one near Phoenix of 9.7 per 

 cent in the third cutting, and one near Solomonville of 27.6 per cent in the 

 second cutting. 



Alfalfa, R. S. Shaw {Michigan Sta. Cirv. 1, pp. .'/).— Notes are given relating 

 to suitability of soils for alfalfa, and its cultivation, fertilizing, seeding, and 

 harvesting. 



Dodder in alfalfa seed, F. C. Stewart and G. T. French {tiew York State 

 Sta. Circ. 8, pp. 4, pis. 2). — The injuries resulting from dodder in alfalfa seed 

 are pointed out and directions for removing the dodder seed are given. For 

 this purpose a wooden frame 12 in. square by 3 in. deep with the bottom cov- 

 ered with 20 by 20 mesh steel-wire cloth of No. 34 Washburn and Moen gage 

 wire is recommended. When brass or copper wire cloth is used the wire should 

 be No. 32 English gage. By shaking ^ to 4 lb. of seed vigorously for * minute 

 in this sieve the dodder seed may be separated from the alfalfa seed. If but 

 little dodder is present one sifting will do, but if there is much dodder, espe- 

 cially of the large-seeded kind, two sittings should be made. 



Culture tests with varieties of barley in 1905 and 1906, A. Boonstra 

 {Vcrshig. Landboutvk. Ondcrzoek. Rijkslandboutvproefstat. [Netherlands], 1908, 

 No. 3, pp. 75-118). — In 1905 cooperative experiments were conducted with 

 Landgerste, Goldthorpe, Primus, Princess, and Hannchen brewing barley, and 

 in 1906 with only Goldthorpe, Princess, and Hannchen. 



The results led to the conclusion that in the Netherlands the climate is a 

 great obstacle to the production of good brewing barleys. The yield is seldom 

 very high aud most of the varieties are very flinty. Even after soaking the 



