22 BULLETIN" 402^ U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Table XIV shows the average dates when the varieties were fully- 

 headed and ripe, the length of time from sowing to maturity and 

 from heading to maturity, the average height at maturity, the yield 

 per acre, and the weight per bushel. 



The data in Table XIV show that three varieties of durum wheat 

 have averaged at least 61 pounds per bushel. None of the common 

 wheats has averaged more than 57.8 pounds per bushel. The durum 

 varieties have longer straw, which is valuable on account of the diffi- 

 culty in harvesting grain with short straw. The weather conditions 

 usually force a rapid maturity of all varieties. The result is that the 

 time from sowing to maturity is very uniform. It may be noted 

 that Arnautka, which matures two days later than Kubanka, is 

 recorded as requiring the same number of days from sowing to 

 maturity. The explanation is that the date of sowing was not the 

 same. 



NURSERY EXPERIMENTS. 



About fifty varieties and several hundred selections of spring 

 wheat have been grown in nursery rows. The object has been to 

 test varieties of unknown value and selections or strains in short 

 nursery rows before giving them space in field plats. If they did 

 not show promise, they were discarded. Some promising selections 

 have been increased for testing in field plats. One of the best of 

 these is Arnautka 6P1, which has been referred to in the discussion 

 of field-plat experiments. Several selections which yielded well in 

 nursery rows failed to outyield the mother variety when grown in 

 field plats and so have been discarded. 



RATE-OF-SEEDING EXPERIMENTS. 



Rate-of-seeding tests, including four different rates, have been 

 conducted at Akron for five years with durum wheat. Table XV 

 gives the yield data obtained, which show a great lack of consistency. 

 It will be noted that the general trend of increase in 1911 and 1913 

 was from the lower to the higher rates. These were dry years, 

 when agricultural experience would have favored the reverse order. 

 In 1912, with more abundant moisture, there is a decrease from 41 

 bushels for the low rate to 27 bushels for the high rate. This, 

 again, is contrary to common behef. In 1914, with a fair rainfall, 

 the order is normal, as gauged by common opinion. In 1915 the 

 yields from the 2-peck rate and from the 6-peck rate are practically 

 the same, and there is very little difference in the yields from aU 

 rates. The greatest departure was 0.7 bushel per acre. Under 

 these conditions the average for the five years can not carry much 

 weight. The average for the 2-peck rate is 21.2 bushels, and that 

 for the 5-peck rate is the same. The data seem to indicate that within 

 certain limits the ratB does not materially affect the yield. 



