138 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



industry be conducted on a conservative basis, the growing and packing of tobacco 

 can become an important industry of cast Texas." 



Experiments in breeding tobacco, E. H. Jenkins (Connecticut State Sta. Rpl. 

 1904, pt. 5, pp. 449-456, pi. 1). — In 1903, 12 different types or strains of tobacco, 

 including 7 of the Sumatra type, 2 of the Cuban, and 1 each of Connecticut Broad- 

 leaf, Connecticut Havana, and White Burley were grown, and small quantities of 

 seed from individual plants were selected as being the very best in the plats and 

 exclusively self-fertilized. From this set 4 strains of the Sumatra type, 1 of the 

 Cuban, and 1 each of the Connecticut Broadleaf, Connecticut Havana, and White 

 Burley were obtained and are here briefly described. As in the previous year, seed 

 from selected and exclusively self-fertilized plants was secured for future work. 



The general result of the season's work indicates that the characters of the partic- 

 ularly selected mother plant were transmitted to each one of the offspring with a 

 remarkable degree of uniformity. The author reports that this was the first time 

 since the experiments with Sumatra were begun, in 1900, that plats were secured in 

 which the plants were uniform in size and in the number and shape of the leaves. 

 The effect of cross-fertilization and self-fertilization in tobacco is discussed and 

 an article giving one of the very earliest descriptions and pictures of the tobacco 

 plant, written soon after its introduction into the Old AVorld from the West Indies, 

 is reproduced. 



A new and valuable cover crop for tobacco fields, A. D. Shamel ( Connecticut 

 State Sta. Bui. 149, }>p. 7, fig. 1). — The need of a suitable cover crop for tobacco fields 

 is pointed out, and hairy vetch, sand vetch, or Russian vetch ( Vicia rillosa) is 

 described with special reference to its use for this purpose. Directions for planting 

 the crop are given, and its value for forage or green manure is also briefly noted. 



In October of 1904 several tobacco fields w r ere sown to Russian vetch either with 

 rye or alone. In some instances the soil preparation consisted of plowing and har- 

 rowing, while in others the seed was sown on the unprepared ground and disked in 

 with an ordinary disk or wheel harrow. Both inoculated and uninoculated seed 

 was used. 



Although the seeding was thinner than desirable, a good stand was obtained and 

 the crop wintered better than the rye which was sown with it, the vetch surviving 

 in spots where the rye completely winterkilled. The roots of plants from inocu- 

 lated seed bore many tubercles, while on the plants from the uninoculated seed they 

 were less numerous and the plants much less vigorous. When the crop was plowed 

 under in May the plants were from 4 to 8 in. high. 



Universal nomenclature of wheat, N. A. Cobb (Dept. Agr. X. S. Wales, Misc. 

 Pub. 539, pp. 75, pis. 15, figs. 74)- — This publication includes a series of papers pub- 

 lished in the Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales and previously noted (E. S. 

 R., 15, p. 246). 



A further study of the volume, microscopic structure, and strength of the aleuron 

 layer in wheat is reported. In this study the distribution of gluten in the ripe 

 endosperm of typical Australian wheat was determined, and observations made on 

 the structure of the flour cell. Directions are given for the selection of average sam- 

 ples, the preparation of sections of a ripe wheat grain, the demonstration of the dis- 

 tribution of gluten in the flour cells, and the collection of all the gluten from a sin- 

 gle flour cell. 



Spraying to kill weeds, T. D. Jarvis (Ann. Rpt. Ontario Agr. Col. and Kept. 

 Farm, 30 {1904), pp. 39, 40).— Early in July weed patches in which 28 species and 

 12 botanical families of plants were represented were sprayed with a solution of 9 

 lbs. of bluestone to 45 gal. of water. It was observed that 24 hours after spraying 

 the effects were the same as 6 hours after the treatment. It is concluded that wild 

 mustard is the only weed that can be destroyed by spraying with this solution. 

 The flowers of field bindweed and white cockle, and the leaves of blue weed, bull 

 thistle, Canada thistle, and sow thistle proved very sensitive to the spray. 



