1028 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



dates of April 1 and Juno .'!<». T.KiS, and consistiuf; mainly of material collected 

 by F. N. Meyer, agricultural explorer in northern and central China. 



FIELD CROPS. 



Dry fanning' investigations in Montana, A. Atkinson and J. B. Nelson 

 (Montana Sta. Bill. 7//, pi). 65S0, pis. 10, map 1). — This bulletin presents data 

 gathered during the past 4 years at several substations located in different 

 Iiarts of the State. Data regarding precipitation, given in a table, were taken 

 from observations made either at the substations or by the nearest Weather 

 liureau stalion. (ieneral directions for dry-land farming are given. 



It is concluded from the results thus far secured that dry farming can be 

 profitably practiced in many parts of the State. Turkey lied wheat sown in 

 the fall gave the best yields of all crops grown. Yields of 55 and 58 bu. per 

 acre ai'e recorded. Fall-sown rye also gave very good yields, over 40 bu. per 

 acre being secured in some instances. Satisfactory yields of potatoes were ob- 

 tained, the average being about 124 bu. per acre. Brome grass was the most 

 jiromising forage croi) tested. 



Other experimental results indicate that using from 3 to 5 pk. of seed per 

 acre in growing the different grains is better than using larger amounts, 

 rianting grain crops to permit intertillage reduced the yield as compared with 

 Itlanting sutliciently deep with the ordinary seed drill. Alternating grain with 

 a properly cultivated summer fallow gave decidedly more jn'ofitable returns 

 than continuous grain culture on the same land. The importance of keeping 

 the sunnner fallow well cultivated was also plainly brought out by these 

 experiments. 



Alfalfa in cultivated rows for seed production in semiarid regions, 

 C. J. Brand and J. M. Westgate {U. S. Dcpt. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus. Circ. 2'i, 

 pp. 2S, figs. 3). — Historical notes with reference to this method of culture are 

 given, the principles underlying alfalfa seed production are considered, and 

 directions for growing alfalfa in cultivated rows for seed are presented. 



It has been observed that isolation of alfalfa plants increases seed produc- 

 tion, and this is considered due largely to the increased amount of sunlight 

 available when the plants shade each other but little or not at all. At the 

 Arlington Experimental Farm, plants secured from cuttings taken from a heavy- 

 seeding plant jn-oduced a maximum of 38 pods when the area per plant was 

 equivalent to a 7-in. s(]uare, and 90 pods when the space was equal to an 11-in. 

 square, while the highest number of pods on plants in rows .'!9 in. apart and 18 

 in. apart in the row was 505. 



The authors and other investigators have found that alfalfa flowers tripped 

 by any form of manipulation set seed much more readily than unexploded blos- 

 soms. In an experiment at the Arlington PLxperimental Farm, plants the flowers 

 of which were tripped by exerting pressure successively over the whole plant 

 showed an increase of 25.5 i)er cent in the yield of pods over adjoining untreated 

 rows. At Chico. Cal., an increase of 12!) per cent in the number of pods is re- 

 corded. The results of two experiments have shown that the proportion of 

 increase in the number of seeds is not so high as in the number of pods. 



Growing alfalfa for seed in cultivated rows promises to be more successful 

 in sections with an annual rainfall of 14 to 20 in. than elsewhere. " The results 

 obtained in the experiments thus far conducted indicate that it gives especial 

 promise in Utah, in eastern Colorado, !ind in the western portions of Kansas, 

 Nebraska, and South Dakota. Yields of seed at the rate of 5 bu. to the acre 

 have been obtained." A number of methods used in the preparation of the 

 seed bed, the seeding in rows, and the cultivation and harvesting of the crop 



