CEREAL EXPERIMENTS IN MARYLAND AM) VIKCINIA. 3 



While it is known that these crops were grown in Virginia and 

 Maryland since early colonial days, they did not come into prominence 

 until the last half of the nineteenth century, when the invention of the 

 thrashing machine and the self-hinder greatly stimulated their pro- 

 duction. To-day Virginia and Maryland are not great grain-produc- 

 ing sections as compared with the North-Central States, yet wheat, 

 oats, harloy, and rye are grown to a greater or lesser extent through- 

 out these and adjoining States. Of the small grains, winter wheat 

 has always been foremost in importance; in fact, its annual produc- 

 tion is many times greater than that of all others combined. 



During the 10-year period from 1905 to 1914, inclusive, the acreage 

 and production of wheat in Maryland and Virginia have remained 

 about stationary. The average production for the former State has 

 been about 11,000,000 bushels, and for the latter about 9,000,000 

 bushels. The acreage in wheat in the two States, however, has been 

 about the same. The fact that the average yield per acre for Virginia 

 has been only slightly more than 12 bushels, as compared with about 

 16.5 bushels for Maryland, accounts for the greater production in the 

 latter State. 



During the same period the relative importance of oats, rye, and 

 barley has been in the order named. Rye is grown entirely as a fall- 

 sown crop, while oats and barley are grown from both spring and fall 

 seeding. 



PHYSICAL FACTORS. 



Information with regard to the physical factors which may influ- 

 ence crop experiments is desirable for the interpretation of results. 

 For that reason data are given on the soil and climatic conditions at 

 College Park and at Arlington Farm. 



sons. 



The soil of that particular portion of the Maryland Agricultural 

 Experiment Station farm on which the experiments here reported 

 were conducted is classed by the United States Bureau of Soils as 

 Sassafras sandy loam. It is a medium to fine brown sandy loam of 

 sedimentary origin, with an average depth of about 10 inches. The 

 subsoil consists of a slightly sandy or rather heavy yellow loam, 

 usually 5 or more feet in depth. The subsoil is more retentive of 

 water than is usual in this type of soil, so that this section is for the 

 most part poorly drained. This general soil type is not difficult to 

 cultivate and responds well to good treatment. It is well suited to 

 grain growing. 



The soil of the Arlington Farm consists of a very heavy clay loam, 

 yellow to brown in color, ranging from 4 to 10 inches in depth. It is 

 underlain by a stiff, plastic, red, gray, or purplish clay subsoil of 



