FTET.D CROPS. 745 



A list of 43 referonces to literiitiir*' on ojits culture anil striKturo of tlio nat 

 plant c'oiu-hules the article. 



Analysis of colonial oats, J. Lkwis (.!;//•. .Jour, Ca/x' (lnod Ho/k', .i-i ( lUOS), 

 .\(i. .{, 1)1). d5S-,itJG). — Tables are given showing the manner of treatment in 

 culture tests and the yields per acre of 52 samples of oats obtained from 

 various districts of Cajie Colony. In addition, results of the dieniical analyses 

 nf the samples are presented. 



The peanut, .T. Ai>am (<loi(vt. QC'n. Afriqiir Occident. Franc. Inftp. Af/r. tOO!^. 

 /III. ,i(Ht, /l!/s. 'iH, (Ifjnis. 7. /(H//W S). — This book devotes a chapter each to the 

 origin and distribution of the peanut, varieties, culture and cultural reipiire- 

 nients, products, conuiierce. growth of the industry, and economic importance 

 (.f the plant. 



Rice culture in Asiatic Russia, V. Walta ( 7'/Y>/>r// />//«» :c/-, 12 (190S), \o. ,7, 

 /(/*. 107 Ud). — This article discusses In detail rice culture in the Russian 

 Asiatic po.ssessions. giving sjiecial itrominence to lowland rice, although ui)land 

 rice is also grown in some sections. It is estimated that the cost of producing 

 an acre of rice amotmts to about $14.(n, and that with an Jiverage yield of 

 about 1,!)L'.'{ lbs. of grain and .'i,(J,"»S lbs. of straw per acre a profit of about .$1U.(»1) 

 may be stn-urt'd. 



A report on experiments with potatoes, 1907, .7. (J. Stewart (I'nir. fjcni-t 

 and Yorkshire Council Agr. Ed. [Pamphlet} 70, 1907, pp. 17, pJs. 2). — From the 

 results of variety tests it is concluded that Midlothian Early and Ninetyfold 

 are good early varieties. British Queen No. 2 and Dalmeny Radium medium 

 varieties, jind T'p-to-I)ate, Dalmeny Regent, and Duchess of Cornwall good late 

 varieties suited to cultivation in Yorkshire. Northern Star and Professor 

 .Maercker were the most disease-resistant varieties. Seed from Scotland and 

 Ireland yielded much better than seed introduced from other parts of England, 

 and the Irish seed gave a better return than the Scotch. The vigor of the 

 potato has not been increased by growing the crop alternately on loamy and 

 clay soils at (larforth. A dressing of wet sawdust over the sets at planting 

 time apparently reduced the amount of .scab. Sterilization of the soil pre- 

 vented scab and greatly increased the yield. 



Experiments with Solanum commersonii and S. commersonii violet, (1. 

 I'.om tinsky-Krizhvci i'/Jxchr. Lnndir. Vcr.snchsir. Ostcrr., II {WOS). Xo. 7. 

 lip. G.')')-(;i;,i ) . — The results of these experiments showe<l that »s'. contmcr.stmii 

 violet is sensitive to large quantities of water in the soil and is no more adapted 

 to wet soils than are the ordinary varieties of potatoes. It is also subject to 

 plant diseases, being attacked by Alternaria solani. In quality it ranks with 

 the ordinary potato, but it does not produce greater yields, the tubers are not 

 larger, and they show a tendency to branch or to produce otTsets. The author 

 obs<!rve<l no character which differentiates this plant from the (U'dinary potato 

 varieties. 



The culture of Solanum commersonii violet, A. and r. Andouard [liiil. 

 stii. Af/ron. Loir<-lnf., IUOll-7. pp. .?7-.i/).— Two culture tests with this plant are 

 rejMirted. and the composition of the ttibers Is shown in tables. This crop 

 grown in dry and humid soils in V.Xt" gave very small yields and the starch 

 content of the tuber was comjiaratively low. The keeping (piality also i)roved 

 unsatisfactory. 



The action of manganese on the potato and the beet, I. IIkndkick and E. 

 <'AlUMAf.\ (/<(//. Inxl. Chiin. rt Itdit. (linihloii.r, UtOS, .\i,. 7.*, /(/*. W;-7.^).— Soil 

 relatively very rich was treate<l with super|)hosphate at the rate of (MH) kg. per 

 luH-tare (.about ^14 lbs. per acre), divide<l into (> plats an«l planted with jtota- 

 t<H's. Two plats served .as che<-k te.sts, two otliers rweived 10 kg. of siilphate 

 of mungiinesi' i»er hectare (about s.i) lbs. i)er acre), and the remaining two 



