Crops. 201 



the crop more than any other factor. The sugar beet has given 

 valuable results along this line in experiments, conducted by 

 Wiley in this country from 1900 to 1905. Beets were grown 

 from the same seed at 12 experiment stations scattered from 

 Kentucky to Wisconsin and from New York to California. At 

 Utah, California and Colorado the crops were grown under ir- 

 rigation. Chemical and meteorological records were carefully 

 kept in all cases. As a result of this and similar investigations, 

 Wiley concludes that the soil and fertilizers have only a limited 

 influence and that temperature (or latitude) is the most potent 

 element of the environment in the production of a beet rich in 

 sugar. Excessive rain fall and irrigation affect the beet only in- 

 cidentally by increasing the yield with a proportionate reduction 

 in percentage of sugar, and dry tillage produces opposite effects. 

 With these conclusions as a basis, there has been mapped for the 

 northern United States a belt of country which presents optimun 

 climatic conditions for the production of sugar beets. 



Wheat has been tested in a similar manner and the results 

 have been reported recently by Le Clerc. Crops were grown 

 from the same seed at the apices of two great triangles ; namely : 

 Kansas, South Dakota and California; and Kansas, Texas and 

 California. The results demonstrate that the same variety of 

 wheat brought from different localities and grown side by side in 

 one locality, yields crops of almost the same appearance and com- 

 position. On the. other hand, "wheat of any one variety from 

 any one source and absolutely alike in chemical and physical 

 characteristics, when grown in different localities, possessing dif- 

 ferent climatic conditions, yields crops of very widely different 

 appearance and very different chemical composition." Thus, 

 with relation to protein, the constituent of most concern, the 

 seed of Kubanka wheat grown in South Dakota in 1905 contained 

 13.03 per cent. The 1906 crop grown from this seed contained : 

 in Kansas, 19.85 per cent of protein in the seed, in California, 

 9.68 per cent, and in South Dakota, 14.24 per cent. The seed 

 from these localities grown in 1907 at California contained 9.70, 



