656 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Breeding- experiments with barley, T. Ramie ( Wchnschr. Brau., 22 {1905), No. 

 13; abs. in Biochem. Centbl, 4 {1905), No. 1, pp. U, 25).— Experiments were made to 

 determine whether varieties usually grown on moist soils could be adapted to dry 

 soils. 



In order to bring about this result it is believed necessary to reduce the water 

 requirements of the variety and to increase its capacity of using the natural water 

 supply of the soil. The selection should be made with reference to a small surface 

 of the plants as compared with their weight, and to a deep root system. The results 

 obtained show that varieties may be modified to a high degree by selection in a cer- 

 tain direction. The quality of the grain remained practically the same, the original 

 protein content and the size of the kernel being retained. 



What influence has the chemical composition of the seed on the develop- 

 ment, quality, and productiveness of barley, and to what extent are these 

 characters transmitted? J. Vaxha, 0. Kyas, and J. Bukovansky {Ztschr. Landw. 

 Versuchsw. Oesterr.,8 {1905), No. 7, pp. 667-684). — Pot experiments were conducted 

 in 1904 with barleys obtained from different sources and varying in some instances 

 in nitrogen-free extract, but containing approximately the same percentage of pro- 

 tein, and in other cases varying in protein but being practically the same in nitrogen- 

 free extract. The kernels used for seed were all more than 2f mm. in diameter, and 

 the treatment of the pots was uniform in every particular throughout the experi- 

 ment. Each test was repeated five times. It was observed that each pot used 32 

 liters of water, which corresponded to 2.461 liters per plant. 



The results, which are tabulated in detail, show that where there was a high con- 

 tent of nitrogen-free extract, a low percentage of total protein and a high percentage 

 of soluble protein in the seed, there was an increase in the total yield, the yield of 

 grain, the number and weight of the steins, and the total weight of the heads and 

 the grain. Where the nitrogen-free extract of the seed rose from 68.68 to 79.42 per 

 cent, the total yield increased 12.76 per cent and the yield of grain 14.62 per cent, 

 while a decrease in protein content from 15.41 to 7.17 per cent in the seed was 

 accompanied by a gain of 13.52 per cent in total yield and of 23.86 per cent in the 

 production of grain. This influence is accounted for by the action of the nitrogen- 

 free extract as reserve material and the usually better developed embryo in seeds 

 high in nitrogen-free extract. The degree of solubility of the protein is also consid- 

 ered a potent factor in affecting the yield. 



The number of developed stems did not appear dependent upon the quantity of 

 nitrogen-free extract in the seed but seemed to be indirectly influenced by the con- 

 tent of total protein. A large quantity of nitrogen-free extract in the seed showed 

 a tendency to lengthen the stems, while the effect of the protein content, which 

 exerted a favorable influence on the stool ing of the plants, was less pronounced in 

 this particular. With a greater stooling capacity, resulting from a low total protein 

 and a high soluble protein content of the seed, a larger number of heads was pro- 

 duced, while the quantity of nitrogen-free extract apparently remained neutral in 

 this regard. The composition of the seed did not seem to affect the proportion of 

 hull, the composition of the endosperm, the size of the kernel, or the germination. 



The authors conclude from the data obtained that nitrogen-free extract and pro- 

 tein content are not transmissible characters, but are controlled mainly by the quality 

 of the soil and the supply of plant food. A difference of 10.74 per cent in nitrogen- 

 free extract in the various seed samples was reduced to about 5 per cent in the barley 

 produced, and the seed lowest in nitrogen-free extract showed an increase of 4 per 

 cent while the seed highest in this constituent gave 2.29 per cent less in the product. 

 In protein content the seed differed by 8.24 per cent, but the crops produced differed 

 by only 1.69 per cent, and the crop from the seed richest in protein, with 15.41 per 

 cent, stood last, with only 7.86 per cent. The seed lowest in protein showed an in. 

 crease of 1.66 per cent under identical conditions of soil and growth with the other 



