FIELD 0EOP8. 753 



most satisfactory yields. Bromua inermis has proved to be one of the best drought- 

 resistanl grasses brought into the State. Agropyrum occidental* is considered one of 

 the hardiest and best native hay grae 



It is stated that when the straw necessary to produce a bushel of wheat is estimated 

 at 90 lbs. the water required in ( lolorado to produce 1 bu. of grail) amounts to 56.25 

 tons. It is pointed out that more moisture is required to mature crops under semi- 

 arid than under humid conditions. Ranking .from lowest to highest in the amount 

 of water required for maturity, the common field crops are given in the following 

 order: Corn, potatoes, wheat, barley, field pea-, oats, alfalfa, and red clover. 



Fallow culture of chernozem, S. V. Sh< boosyev [Zhur. Opuitn. Agron. U. 

 Jour. Expt. Landw.), 6 {1905), No. I, pp. 1-9). — The results of fallow and rotation 

 tests conducted at Ploti for several years are discussed. 



In one system of fallowing the land was plowed in the fall or in the spring and 

 left without a crop, while in the other an intercultural crop like mustard, buck- 

 wheat, vetches, etc., was grown after plowing and before sowing the winter grain. 

 Under the first system fall-plowed land is known as the black fallow and the spring- 

 plowed soil as earl)-, medium, or late green fallow , according to the time of plowing 

 from early in spring to the end of June. The following rotation was practiced: First 

 year, black fallow with the plowing from 7 to 10^ in. deep; second year, winter rye 

 or winter wheat; third year, spring wheat, oats, Or barley; fourth year, root crop-; 

 fifth to eighth years, grass and leguminous crops, and ninth year, flax, millet, or 

 wheat. 



Early green fallow gave slightly lower yields than the black fallow, but is con- 

 sidered by the author as preferable. Perennial grasses in the rotation proved 

 effective in the improvement of the soil. Winter wheat proved more profitable than 

 winter rye. — P. 1 IKEMAN. 



Fertilizer demonstration work in 1904, II. Svoboda I Ztschr. Landw. VersuchsfU). 

 Oesterr., 8 (1905), No. 9, pp. 834-845).— These demonstration te>ts were carried on 

 in the locality of Karnten by 256 farmers, of whom 17:'», or ahout »>s percent, reported 

 results. The year before I'll had carried on this work and 137, or t;:> per cent, 

 reported tin- results secured. 



Of the reports received the first year 4l'.o per cent, and of those received the sec- 

 ond year 50.5 per cent were used in the compilation of the average data. < >n mead- 

 ows Thomas slag and 40 per cent potash salt were used in quantities furnishing 70 

 kg. of phosphoric acid and 65 kg. of potash per hectare, respectively. In the cereal 

 and hoed crop tests the nitrate of soda used furnished 24 kg. of nitrogen; tin- super- 

 phosphate, 55 kg. of phosphoric acid; and the 40 per cent potash salt, 42 kg. of pot- 

 ash per hectare. The cost of the plant food elements per kilo-ram was :'>4 heller for 

 phosphoric acid in Thomas slag with 18 per cent total phosphoric acid, 43 heller for 

 superphosphate with is per cent of water soluble phosphoric acid, 194 heller for 

 nitrogen in the form of nitrate of soda, and 29.5 heller for potash in 40 per cent pot- 

 a.-h salt. 



Tin- fertilizer application on meadows more than paid for itself in the first cutting 

 of grass, SO that the Becond cutting and the increase of the growth the next year are 

 regarded as clear gain. The increase in yield apparently due to the fertilizer ranged 

 from 30 to 40 per cent. In the field crop ex per in a aits the results also proved profit- 

 able. An increase of 40 per cent in the yield of oats and of over 50 per cent in straw 

 was obtained during the l' years. The yield in potatoes was increased by 41 per 

 cent the first year and by 24 per cent the second. 



The influence of cultivation of moorland meadows on the yield and on the 

 effectiveness of commercial fertilizers, K. YVkin {Deut. Landw. I' r .906) t 



No. 89, p. 745). — The results obtained by the m ■ culture station at Weihanstephan 



showed that the use of commercial fertilizers on meadow- of this class without culti- 

 vation is unprofitable.' 



