FIELD CROPS. 231 



otherwise he blown away. They further serve to catch and hold 

 surplus rain water. Pasture lands thus treated have given good 

 results, many grass seeds being caught in the furrows, and the grass 

 on each side has remained green for a much longer period than else- 

 where. Transplanting grass roots on patches made bare of vegetation 

 by overgrazing has been successfully accomplished. 



A large number of grasses, legumes, and other forage plants have 

 been tested on experimental plats. These are reported upon in detail. 

 The weather conditions of the season were very unfavorable, but in 

 spite of this drawback the experiments have yielded results of consid- 

 erable value. 



"They have demonstrated the availabiUty of alfalfa (especially oasis alfalfa), sulla, 

 sainfoin, smooth brome, Canada rye grass, Terrell grass, and others for use in per- 

 manent pastures and meadows; of the vetches, cowpeas, velvet bean, soy bean, teo- 

 sinte, and a larger number of varieties of the sorghums and millets for annual or 

 temporary pastures, and as sources of coarse forage, either fresh or cured; of salt- 

 bush for alkali soils; of the gramas, Canada rye grass, grapevine mesquite, curly 

 mesquite, galleta, and needle grass for reseeding the worn-out ranges. They have 

 shown the feasibility of range improvement by resting and scarifying the land and 

 by sowing hardy native and introduced grasses." 



An experiment was made in baling legumes and sorghums. Several 

 varieties of beans and peas were planted and when the fruits were 

 nearly grown, but before they began to turn yellow, the vines were 

 cut and cured as hay, after which they were baled. ""Recent exami- 

 nation showed that the ha}^ was as sweet as when first baled." A sim- 

 ilar experiment was successfully carried out with sorghum. The 

 stalks were cut when they were from 8 to 5 ft. tall and when the seeds 

 were in the dough stage. The sorghum kept well and the bales were 

 easily handled. Since these crops can be grown in all parts of Texas 

 nearly every year, it is thought that the industry may l)ecome of con- 

 siderable commercial importance in supplying forage to sections of 

 country farther west. 



Egyptian cotton in the United States, L. H, Dewey ( ZL S. Dejyf. 

 A{//'., l)lv!s!(ni of Botany Circ. 26, jyj). 9). — This circular reviews the 

 results obtained in the earlier and in the more recent experiments with 

 Egyptian cotton in this country, giving descriptions of 3 varieties of 

 Egyptian cotton and instituting a comparison of the soil and climatic 

 conditions of the 2 countries relative to cotton-growing areas. Egyp- 

 tian cotton, apparentl}' fully equal to the imported product, has been 

 successfully grown in southern Texas from selected acclimated seed, 

 and a successful hybrid has been obtained by crossing Mitafifi Egyp- 

 tian with Myers Big Boll. The hybrid is said to produce a liber very 

 similar to the Egyptian product and in some respects superior to the 

 Egyptian. In the opinion of the author the area which can be devoted 

 to the culture of Eg3'ptian cotton on a conunercial scale in this country 

 must necessarily be confined to the Gulf coast region, where the season 



