2 BULLETIN 1309, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
been added, mainly those of recent origin which give promise of being 
adapted to eastern conditions. The varietal experiments now include 
40 varieties or strains of wheat, 21 of oats, 25 of barley, 14 of rye, 3 
of spelt, and 1 of emmer. 
The yields of wheat, oats, rye, and barley in Virginia are low. 
According to the records of the United States Department of Agri- 
culture the average acre yield of wheat in the State during the 5-year 
period from 1918 to 1922, inclusive, was 11.7 bushels; oats, 21.5; barley, 
25.9; and rye, 11.6 bushels. Oats and barley are grown from both 
spring and fall seeding in Virginia, but wheat and rye are fall sown 
only. In comparison with the figures just quoted, the yields of the 
fall-sown cereals at the farm are very good. Individual varieties have 
proved unadapted; but with few exceptions wheat, rye, spelt, oats, 
and barley have produced profitable crops annually. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE ARLINGTON EXPERIMENT FARM 
The Arlington Experiment Farm is situated directly across the 
Potomac River from the city of Washington, D. C. It is part of 
the old Arlington estate and comprises the low land lying between 
the Arlington National Cemetery and the Potomac. The approxi- 
mate latitude and longitude are 38° 54' N. and 77° 5' W., respec- 
tively. The altitude is 50 feet. About 400 acres are under cultiva- 
tion. 
SOIL 
The soil is a loam, gray to yellow in color, with a subsoil 4 to 10 
inches below of a heavy brown or red clay. It is classified by the 
Bureau of Soils as Keyport silt loam. 3 The soil has great moisture- 
retaining capacity and in its natural condition is hard to work. A 
complete system of tile drainage and the continuous use of green 
manures have greatly lessened the difficulty of cultivation. Baking 
and clodding still occur, however. The productivity of the soil is 
high, and though not especially adapted to cereals excellent yields 
are produced under favorable climatic conditions. 
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 4 
Weather data recorded at the farm are limited to two factors, pre- 
cipitation and temperature. Fall-sown cereals in general have not 
suffered greatly from lack of moisture, though periods of dry fall 
weather have occurred which reduced or delayed germination or 
checked vegetative growth. Winterkilling or injury due to low tem- 
peratures or heaving is seldom severe enough to reduce spring stands 
of wheat or rye noticeably, but oats and barley have been severely 
injured in at least 2 of the past 14 years. As a rule, some winter 
injury occurs annually in these two crops; and when early spring 
conditions are favorable to the growth of weeds, particularly dog 
fennel or mayweed, the yields are reduced. 
3 Carter, W. T., jr., and C. K. ifineling, jr. Soil survey of Fairfax and Alexandria Counties, Va. U. S. 
Dept. Agr., Bur. Soils, Adv. Sheets Field Oper., 1915, 43 p., illus. 1917. 
* Weather data at Arlington Experiment Farm are recorded by A. Meyer, to whom the writer is in 
debted for the facts here presented. 
