CEREAL EXPERIMENTS IN MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA. 9 



always is applied to the small-grain crop. At seeding time from 300 

 to 400 pounds per acre of the following mixture arc applied: 



rounds. 



Acid phosphate (14 per cent) 1, 400 



Muriate of potash 200 



Tankage 300 



Nitrate of soda 100 



This fertilizer analyzes approximately 9 to 10 per cent phosphoric 

 acid, 5 per cent potash, and 2 per cent nitrogen. It is applied just 

 before seeding by drilling it across the plats. By this method a more 

 nearly even distribution of the fertilizer is secured, thus greatly 

 reducing the chances of experimental error. 



The plats are prepared for seeding in much the same manner as 

 those at Arlington Farm. The seeding, harvesting, and thrashing 

 operations also are quite similar. A hoe drill having 9 hoes 7 inches 

 apart is used in seeding the plats. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH WINTER WHEAT. 



VARIETAL TESTS. 



The varietal tests of wheat conducted at College Park and Arling- 

 ton Farm have been confined entirely to winter varieties. Since 

 winter wheat is by far the most important and widely grown small- 

 grain crop in Maryland and Virginia, naturally it has received the 

 most attention in these experiments. It is well known that spring 

 wheat can not be grown successfully in the Middle Atlantic States. 

 Attempts to grow it have been made by experimenters and by farmers, 

 but never with any real success. 



DATA ON YIELDS. 



- The annual and average yields per acre, in bushels of 60 pounds, for 

 the varieties tested at College Park from 1908 to 1914, inclusive, and 

 at Arlington from 1910 to 1914, inclusive, are presented in Table III. 

 A few varieties were grown in field plats at Arlington in 1909, but 

 the results were very unsatisfactory, because of nonuniform soil con- 

 ditions and injury by birds. It was deemed best therefore not to 

 include them in the table, as they are not at all comparable to those 

 obtained in succeeding years. 



The varieties shown in Table III have been sown at the rate of 6 

 pecks per acre each year except in 1908 and 1909, when rates of 

 5 and 6 J pecks, respectively, were used at College Park. The date 

 of seeding also has been quite uniform, ranging from October 5 to 

 15. At each point all the varieties usually are sown within a period 

 of two or three days each year. 



The 82 varieties and strains shown in the Maryland section of the 

 table have been grown for periods of 2 to 7 years at College Park. 

 In the fall of 1908, after one year's results had been obtained, 25 

 12493°— Bull. 336—16—2 



