1062 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



within the furrows so made. This is done in the fall and the following spring alter- 

 nate furrows are reopened with a shovel plow and the planting and application of 

 fertilizers performed in the usual way. 



A comparison of Peruvian guanos with home mixtures for cotton indicated 

 that the same amounts of available phosphoric acid, nitrogen, and potash in the 

 guanos were of equal value with the same elements in the forms of acid phosphate, 

 cotton-seed meal, and muriate of potash.* The results of an experiment with cotton- 

 seed meal and crushed cotton seed, indicated that for fertilizing cotton 865 lbs. of 

 cotton-seed meal is the fertilizing equivalent of 2,000 lbs. of crushed cotton seed. 



Suggestions and formulas for the use of fertilizers in cotton culture are appended. 



Cotton in Egypt, H. Lecomte (Le colon en Egypte. Paris: A. Chattamel, 1905, 

 pp. 162, figs. 28, map 1). — In discussing the present condition of the cotton industry 

 of Egypt, this book devotes a chapter each to general cotton statistics, the soil, cli- 

 mate, varieties, variations, cultural operations, harvesting and ginning, soil exhaus- 

 tion and fertilization, the distribution of cotton culture in Egypt together with the 

 production and exportation of the country, and the culture of the crop in the Nile 

 region under irrigation. 



Hardy Bermuda grass, J. Fields (Oklahoma Sta. Bui. 70, pp. 8). — Experiments 

 at the station have shown that Bermuda grass should be propagated only from the 

 roots and pieces of sod of a sort that has survived severe winters in Oklahoma. The 

 hardy strain growing at the station and elsewhere in Oklahoma quite generally sur- 

 vived the winter of 1905-6. Directions for planting Bermuda sod and its care after 

 planting are given. 



Two and one-half acres of thin upland soil were set to Bermuda grass on June 29 

 and 30, 1905, by sod planting, and on September 25 a yield of 2,584 lbs. of cured 

 hay per acre, free from weeds and crab grass, was secured. The rainfall during this 

 period amounted to 14.13 in. as compared with an average precipitation of 9.62 in. 

 for the same period in previous years. An analysis of this hay made by the station 

 chemist showed that it contained 9.70 per cent of protein and 1.24 per cent of fat. 



The preservation and storage of hops, K. vox Baur-Breitenfeld (Pure 

 Products, 2 (1906), No. 3, pp. 145-150). — Investigations on the storing of hops indi- 

 cated that hops should be stored in the hop chambers only when perfectly dry and 

 ripe for bagging, and that sulphuring maintains the quality during storage. 



The storage rooms should be kept at an even low temperature and perfectly dry. 

 Temperatures from zero to 2 or 3° R. preserve hops better than higher temperatures 

 because they reduce the moisture in the air to a greater extent and retard the oxida- 

 tion of the hop resin and oil. The lower temperatures also better preserve the flavor 

 of the hops. Hop chambers with direct refrigeration and stagnant air are as effective 

 as those cooled by circulating cold air. 



The potato crop, T. H. Middletox (Cambridge Univ., Dept. Agr. Farmers' Bid. 

 3, pp. 54). — Variety tests were conducted in 1903 and 1904 on a light loam soil. The 

 best yields were secured from Dobbie Factor and Findlay Royal Kidney. Sutton 

 Discovery and Findlay Evergood proved the most resistant to disease. 



The sprouting of seeds before planting did not appear very useful for ordinary 

 purposes. Planting entire tubers gave better results than the use of cut seed pieces. 

 Tubers weighing 9 or 10 to the pound, or H to If in. in size, were most suitable for 

 planting. Seed imported from Scotland produced equally good crops the first and 

 second years, while the third year the crop was much reduced. The second growth 

 induced by weather conditions in 1904 had a very injurious effect on the cooking 

 quality of the potatoes. 



The best results on poor light land were secured with a fertilizer application con- 

 sisting of If cwt. of sulphate of ammonia, 3£ cwt. of superphosphate, and 1| cwt. of 

 sulphate of potash. On a light loam soil the best yield was secured where this same 

 application of commercial fertilizers, together with 12 tons of barnyard manure per 

 acre, was used. The barnyard manure alone also gave good results. 



