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 are applied: 
Pounds. 
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^ 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 
