6 
BEETS. 
Beets should do well as a winter crop on the lighter, sandy soils. 
It is not likely that sugar beets can be profitably grown on the heavier 
soils, as the sugar content and purity coefficients are likely to be low. 
The Mangold Wurzel ( var . rapaj is a valuable cattle food, but is 
not likely to stand the summer heat; it should be tried as a winter 
crop for summer feeding, as an addition to the alfalfa ration. 
AUSTRALIAN SALT-BUSH. 
Australian Salt-bush (Atriplex semibaccataj can be grown as a 
forage plant on all lands which are too saline to raise alfalfa and other 
crops. Some care must be exercised in sowing the seed, in order to 
produce a good stand, and a bulletin and circular giving a full account 
of the plant, with instructions as to sowing, can be had on application 
to the Director, Agricultural Experiment Station, Berkeley, Cal. 
THE SORGHUMS. 
It is probable that all of the Sorghum races, both saccharine and 
non-saccharine, will thrive, and will prove important forage crops, 
as they are in Northeastern Texas. The Sorghums include not only 
Sorghum, but also Kaffir corn, Jerusalem corn, Egyptian corn, Durra, 
Millo maize, Broom corn and Guinea corn. 
Four crops of Jerusalem corn have been obtained at Indio from a 
single sowing. This variety is said to be rather more prolific than 
Egyptian corn, though both thrive well, there and at Calexico. 
On account of the scarcity of Sorghum seed in the market and its 
high price, it might be profitable to raise it for seed as well as for 
forage. 
CORN. 
Corn is sensitive to alkali and is not likely to thrive in soils 
containing more than . 2 % of salts. It is probable that Teosinte is 
equally sensitive. Both should be tried as summer crops, as they 
will not tolerate low winter temperatures. 
FIGS. 
The Smyrna fig industry has now been placed on what seems to be 
a thoroughly firm basis, and the quality of the California product is 
superior to that of the imported article. In view of the fact that in 
1900 we imported 8 , 812,481 pounds of dried figs, valued at $ 513 , 895 , 
there would seem to be a market for all the Smyrnas we can produce. 
The area over which the Smyrna fig can be satisfactorily cultivated is 
so limited that the likelihood of severe competition is reduced. The 
successful caprification of the flowers and handling of the crop are not 
difficult, although they require care and skill, but not more than is 
