FIELD CROPS. 93V) 



aboA^e. Tho coinmerciiil seed.s produced crops containing- from U to 11.5 

 per cent of premature seed specimens, while the seed grown on the 

 cold, upland clay produced a crop containing' but 2.7 per cent of pre- 

 mature seed specimens. The results of the investigation are thought 

 by the author to have an important bearing on the beet-sugai- seed 

 industry. 



Tobacco culture experiments in Russia, P. Lomonosov {Iij>f. 

 ToImcco Kept. Sta. Lokhiuts A^Jl•. Snr. ISDJ, IS9J^, and 1895^ pp. 

 IY-\- 116). — This report on tobacco work near Lokhvits, Government 

 of Poltava, in southin'n Russia, is introduced Avith a general discussion 

 of tobacco culture in that region. The work here described consisted 

 of plat experiments with the connnoidy groAvn variet}'^ knoAvn as 

 Makhorka and considered as yielding a leaf of good quality. The soil 

 on Avhich the experiments Avere carried out Avas the typical valley 

 chernozem common to that section of Russia. The upper IS in. of the 

 soil is somcAvhat sandy and dark gray in color, the next 28 in. is light 

 graA% somcAvhat yelloAvish, and contains carbonates, and the subsoil is 

 a light gray loess. The results showed that decreasing the distance 

 betAveen plants increased the yield but decreased the Aveight of the 

 leaf and of the entire plant and Avas detrimental to the quality. The 

 best distances Avere 21 by 11 and 21 l)y 10^ in. "\\nien planting 21 by 

 14 in. apart it is reconnnended to leave 7 or S leaves per plant. This 

 increases the yield 40 per cent as compared with the usual practice of 

 leaving from 4 to 6 leaves. The same results may be o1)tained by 

 planting 21 by lOi in. apart and leaving 6 leaves per plant. Watering 

 the young plants proved beneficial. Starting tol)acco directly in the 

 field Avithout the preliminary groAvth of the plants in hotbeds is con- 

 sidered profitable only Avhen atmospheric conditions are favorable. A 

 large number of leaA'es per plant, close planting, and frequent Avater- 

 ing and cultivating delayed maturity. The average loss of Aveight in 

 curing the leaves Avas 75. B2 per cent. 



The basis for the improvement of American wheats, jSI. A. 

 Cakleton {U. S. Uept. Agr., Dlvl.sio/i of ViijctdhJe J*hys!olo(/y und 

 Pathology Bui. 2i,p2y. 87, ph. 10, fy-^. -7, /nap, 1). — This bulletin 

 describes the characteristics and needs of the several Avheat districts in 

 the United States, and suggests hoAv the desired qualities to satisfy 

 these needs may be obtained. The chai-acteristics of the different 

 botanic groups of Avheat are considered according to the foUoAving 

 classification : Triticum tndgare, T. compavtaia^ T. durvrn, T. turgi- 

 dum, T. poJonicum, T. spelta, T. dicoccniii, and T. morwcocciim. In 

 general it is stated T. vidgare, T. polonicum, and T. monococcum are 

 considered as species, Avhile the rest are ranked as subspecies. The 

 desirable and undesirable qualities of the several groups are enumerated. 



The author divides the United States into eight dilierent wheat 

 groAving districts. In the soft Avheat district, including mainly the 



