FIELD (Rol'S. 1055 



Bat guano from the Federated Malay States, W. R. Dunstan {Agr. Bui. 

 Slraiisand Fed. Malay States, ; i 1905), No. 10, pp. 894 897).- -Descriptions and analy- 

 ses arc given of 4 samples of bal guano obtained from caves in different parts of the 

 Malay states. The results show that although these guanos are comparatively rich 

 in phosphoric acid (8.6 to L7.52 per cenl i, of which a fairly large proportion (3.25 

 to 9.75 per cent) is soluble in ammonium citrate solution and is therefore in condi- 

 tion to be readily utilized by plants, they are deficient in the very important con- 

 stituents, potash (0.88 to 2.01 per cenl i and nitrogen (0.84 to 2. 17 per cenl I. 



Water as a plant food, Backh i.us (( '/<< m. Ztg., :'■> \ 1905 I, No. 80, p. 1067; Fuh~ 

 ling's Landw. Ztg.,54\ 1905), No. .'.', pp. 75"} 762). Observations made on the Berlin 

 Bewage farm during the dry season of 1904 on the value of water as a factor of pro- 

 duction are briefly reported, and the actual money value of the increase due to the 

 application of 1 cubic meter of water- in case of oats, wheat, hemp, and grasses is cal- 

 culated. The latter varied from L.35 cts. in the case of grass to 2.57 cts. in the case 

 of oats. 



The conditions necessary to the fullest and most economical use of water in plant 

 production are also discussed, including increasing rainfall by forest planting, storage 

 of water and construction of other irrigation works, deep culture, increasing humus 

 content of the soil, controlling the water content and evaporation, choice of culti- 

 vated plants, tillage, etc. 



FIELD CROPS. 



The breeding- of agricultural plants, ('. Fruwirth {Die Zuchtung der landwirt- 

 8ckafUic7ien KuUurpflanzen. Berlin: Paul Parey, 1905, pp. XVI 201, figs. :■'>). — Pre- 

 vious volumes of this work have already been noted E. S. R.., It), p. 1065). This 

 volume, the third of the series, treats of breeding potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, 

 flax, hemp, tobacco, hops, and leguminous forage plants, including clovers. Thirty 

 different species are discussed and notes on the blossoming period, pollination, selec- 

 tion, correlation, variation, hybridization, and seed culture are given. A bibliography 

 of 54 references, including I ks, bulletins, and periodicals, is listed. 



Report of work at McNeill Branch Experiment Station for 1904, E. B, 

 Ferris | Mississippi Sta. Bui. 87, }>p. 7-16). — In a corn fertilizer test the same quanti- 

 ties of nitrogen and phosphoric acid gave practically the same yields when given as 

 cotton-seed meal and acid phosphate, cotton-seed meal and reverted acid phosphate, 

 or raw ground hone. The cotton -seed meal was applied at the rate of S4 lbs., the 

 acid phosphate 232 lbs., the reverted acid phosphate 414 lbs., and the raw ground 

 bone Kit) lbs. per acre. In a variety tot with com, Cocke Prolific and Eureka 

 headed the list with yields of 51.6 and 51.5 bu. per acre, respectively. 



In a fertilizer test with cotton ll'ti lbs. per acre each of acid phosphate and cotton- 

 seed meal gave Too lbs. of seed cotton; 165 lbs. of ground hone, 780 lbs. of cotton; 

 and 168 lbs. of cotton-seed meal and 70 lbs. of acid phosphate, 710 lbs. of cotton 

 per acre. Nearly all other application- gave much lower yields. Among the differ- 

 ent varieties tested Allen Long Staple stood first in the production of seed cotton. 

 The average of plats with the rows 4 ft. apart gave 742 lbs. of seed cotton per acre, 

 which was considerably better than was obtained from narrower plantings. 



Cow peas grown as a second crop matured alter the rainy season was over and made 



good hay. It is stated that peas planted early in the season have very little tendency 

 to make fruit, while those planted the latter part of June or in July are likely to 

 fruit heavily. A large and profitable crop of sweet potatoes was grown, the leading 

 variety being Dooly Yam. 



In work with sugarcane 4l'o gal. of first-class sirup was secured <»n one-half acre 

 of plant cane. Immature tops of cane and tops with only one mature joint were 

 used for planting, but were found unsatisfactory. It is estimated that the yield of 



