82 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



were (Inipped per 100 was liir-ji'ly increased. Metliixls ol' selecting' sei'(l corn and 

 makinji^ "lerniniation tests are described, an<l a scoiccaid foi- ccirii with an explanation 

 of tlie points is presented. 



Cotton culture in Servia, V. I. Masalski (SI. I'drrshitri/: Min. A</r. kihI /nip. 

 Do)ii(iiiis, ]>(■))!. Ayr., J90J, Aas. .^5, ^6'; abs. in. Zliur. Opiiitn. A(jrn)i. [Jour. J'Jxpt. 

 Landir.], 4 {1903), No. 2, p. 235). — Experiments are in progress to determine 

 whethei- or not cotton can be profitably grown in Servia. Tluis far American cot- 

 t(m from Turkestan seed has given the l)est results, while Egyi)tian and Sea Island 

 varieties were the least jjromising. Owing to the climatit- conditions of tlie country 

 the results were not encouraging. Further experiments are considered necessary 

 for definite conclusions. — v. fireman. 



Forage crops, B. C. Pittuck {Texas l^to. Bitl. t:n, pji. Jt:, jhji^. ij) . — This huiletin 

 discusses the value and importance of alfalfa, i)eanuts, velvet beans, millet, and rape 

 for forage and presents the experience of farmers with reference to the growth and 

 adaptability of these various crops. The directions for the culture and uses of for- 

 age crops are largely based on the results obtained at other experiment stations. 

 The larger portion of the bulletin is devoted to alfalfa. 



At the station alfalfa seed from Utah and seed obtained in Texas gave practically 

 equal yields the first year, but the second season the Utah-grown seed produced 

 2,071 lbs. of hay more per acre than the other. 



Some experiments on the ensiling- of grass and beets, L. Bat wens {Jour. 

 Sue. Cad. A(jr., Jielg., 50 {1903), Xos. 5, pp. 200, 201; 6, pp. 229, 230) .—Bv'mi notes 

 on simple methods of ensiling in pits, trenches, etc. 



The cowpea and soy bean in Illinois, D. S. Dalbey {Illinois Sta. Circ. 69, pp. 

 15, figs. 5). — The value of cowpeas and soy beans for Illinois is discussed and the 

 results of variety tests of the 2 crops are reported liriefly. Popular directions for tlie 

 culture of the crops are given and their feeding and fertilizing value are jjointed out. 

 Drilling about J bu. per acre in rows 32 in. apart is considered Vjest for the pro- 

 duction of seed. Among 22 varieties of cowpeas grown at the station Warren 

 Extra Early and AVarren New Hybrid were the most prolific varieties, yielding 38.7 

 and 38.3 bu. per acre, respectively. Whippoorwill, which is very commonly grown, 

 yielded only 15.6 bu. per acre in this test. A comparative test was made of 8 varieties 

 of soy beans. Medium Green headed the list with a yield of 41.7 bu. per acre, fol- 

 lowed by Early White with a yield of 38.2 bn. Late Mammoth did not mature seed. 



Further experiments in top-dressing grass land, H. J. Wheeler and G. E. 

 Adams {Rhode Island Sta. Bui. 90, pp. 69-86, figs. 4)- — This work is in continuation 

 of experiments previously reported, and a description of the plats and their treatment 

 has been given in a former abstract (E. S. R., 14, \). 32). This T)ulletin is mainly 

 devoted to the results of the fourth year. 



The plat receiving the full application of 63 ll)s. of nitrogen per acre in the form 

 of nitrate of soda yielded 3.4565 tons of hay per acre in 1899, 4.1 tons in 1900, 4.695 

 tons in 1901, and 4.1 tons in 1902, the value of the hay exceeding the cost of the fer- 

 tilizers by 119.62 per acre the first year, $30.40 the second year, $40.70 the third 

 year, and $32.74 the fourth year. The total excess in the value of hay over the cost 

 of fertilizers for the 4 years was $123.46 per acre, or an average of $30.87 per acre for 

 each year. The use of the full application of nitrogen gave much greater financial 

 returns than the use of one-third of the application or the total omission of the 

 same. In 1901 and 1902 the losses in weight of hay during storage ranged from 13.3 

 to 19.6 per cent. 



Redtop, grown on the same area and at the same time as timothy, was richer in 

 nitrogen and also contained more silica, lime, magnesia, phosphoric acid, and potash 

 than the timothy, but a greater percentage of nitrogen in the timothy than in the 

 redtop had been changed to albuminoids. The amounts of plant food furnished by 

 the fertilizers and removed by the crops are given as follows: 



