TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN NO. 199 DECEMBER, 1916 PROGRESS REPORT, TEXAS SUBSTATION N0. s, DENTON, TEXAS 1909-1914 POSTOFFICE: COLLEGE STATION, BRAZOS COUNTY, TEXAS. AUSTIN, TEXAS: VON BOECKMANN-JONES 00., PRINTERS, 1916. [Blank Page in Original Bulletin] A28-1216-10m TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN NO. 199 DECEMBER, 1916 PRocmzss REPORT, TEXAS SUBSTATION NO.6,DENTON,TEXAS 1909-1914 BY V. L. CORY, B. S. SUPERINTENDENT POSTOFFICE: COLLEGE STATION, BRAZOS COUNTY, TEXAS. ii AUSTIN, TEXAS: VON BOECKMANN-JONES 00., PRINTERS, 1916. AUIULULI umu. ANU ivinuuAwlcAL COLLEGE OF TEXAS W. B. BIzzELL, A. M. D. C. L., President TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS k1 OHN I. GUION, Ballinger, President J . H. ASTIN, Bryan ................................... .. . S. WILLIAMS, Paris .... .. E. BATTLE, Marlin ..................... .. . A. BREIHAM, Bartlett ....................... .. . R. KUBENA, Fayetteville ............. .. >g~m5~mr L. J. HART, Chairman . . HART, San Antonio, Vice-President?"Mini". . A. MILLER, JR, Amarillo..............fffffffffIfIIIIffIf...WIIIIIIYIIIIIIIIIII "" " . B. DAVIDSON, Cuero ............................................ .. MAIN STATION COMMITTEE J. S. WILLIAMS ...Term expires 1919 ‘Term expires 1919 Term expires 1919 Term expires 1917 Term expires 1917 Term expires 1917 Term expires 1921 ...Term expires 1921 .................... ..Term expires 1921 W. A. MILLER, Jr- GOVERNING BOARD, STATE SUBSTATIONS P. L. DOWNS, President, Temple J. E. Booo-Scorr, Coleman .................................... .. STATION ADMINISTRATION B. YOUNGBLOOD, M. S., Director A. B. CONNER, B. S., Vice Director CHAS. A. FELKER, Chief Clerk A. S. WARE, Secretary DIVISION OF VETERINARY SCIENCE _ M. FRANcIs, D. V. S., Veterinarian in Charge H. SCHMIDT, D. V. M., Veterinarian DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY G. . FRAPS, Ph. D., Chemist in Charge; State Chemist W. T. P. SPROTT, B. S., Assistant Chemist H. LEBESON. M. S.. Assistant Chemist CnARLEs BUCHWALD, M. S., Assistant Chemist DIVISION OF HORTICULTURE NEss, M. S., Horticulturist in Charge W. S. HOTCHKISS, Horticulturist DIVISION OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY J BURNs, B. S., Animal Husbandman, Feeding Investigations J. M. JJNEs, A. M., Animal Husbandman, _ Breeding Investigations DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY F. B. PADDOCK, M. S., Entomologist in Charge; State Entomologist H. RINEHARI), B. S., Assistant Ento- mologist County Apiary Inspectors R. C. Abernathy, Ladonia; William Atch- ley, Mathis; J. W. E. Basham, Barstowi Victor Boeer, Jourdanton; T. W. Burle- son, Waxahachie; W. C. Collier, Goliad; E. W. Cothran, Roxton; G. F. Davidson, Pleasanton; John Donegan, Seguin; A. R. Graham, Milano; H Grossen- bacher, San Antonio; J. B. King, Bates- ville; N. G. LeGear, Waco; R. A. Little, Pearsall; H. L. Mofield, Hondo; M. C. Stearns, Brady; SQH. Stephens, Uvalde; M. B. Tally, Victoria; Jas. W. Traylor, Enloe; R. E. Watson, Heidenheimer; W. H. White. Greenville; W. P. Bankston, Buffalo; F. C. Belt, Yoleta. - DIVISION OF AGRONOMY A. B. CoNNER, B. S., Agronomist in Charge A. H. LEIDIGH, B. S., Agronomist LoUIs WERMELSKIRCHEN, B. S., Agronomist DIVISION OF PLANT PATHOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY J. J. TAUBENHAUS, Ph. D., Plant Patholo- gist and Physiologist in Charge _ A. D. Jormsow, B. S., Graduate Assistant DIVISION OF POULTRY HUSBANDRY R. N. HARVEY, B. S., Poultryman in Charge CHARLES ROGAN, Vice-President,"Aflsltiiillll: iiiiiiiiiiii u W. P. HOBBY, Beaumont .......................................... .. ................ ..Term expires 1919 Term expires 1919 ................ ..Term expires 1917 .............................. ..Term expires 1921 STAFFII DIVISION OF FORESTRY . J. H. FosTER, M. F., Forester in Charge; State Forester DIVISION OF PLANT BREEDING E. P. HUMBERT, Ph. D., Plant Breeder in Charge J. S. lVIOGFORE, B. S., Graduate Assistant DIVISION OF DAIRYING J. E. HARPER, M. S., Dairgman in Charge "DIVISION OF FEED CONTROL SERVICE JAMES SULLIVAN, Executive Secretary J. H. RoGERs, Inspector . H. W001), Inspector . H. WoLTERs, Inspector . D. PEARCE, Inspector . M. WICKERS, Inspector T. B. REEsE, Inspector SUBSTATION NO. 1: Beeville, Bee County E. E. BINFORD, B. S., Superintendent SUBSTATION N0. 2= Troup, Smith County . S. HOTCHKISS, Superintendent SUBSTATION NO. 3: Angleton, Brazoria County N. E. WINTERS, B. S., Superintendent SUBSTATION NO. 4: Beaumont Jetferson County H. H. LAUDE, B. S., Superintendent SUBSTATION NO. 5: Temple, ‘Bell County ____D. _T. KILLOUGI-I, B. S., Superintendent SUBSTATION NO. 6: Denton, Denton County V CORY, B. S., Superintendent SUBSTATION NO. 7: Spur, Dickens County R. E. DICKSON, B. S., Superintendent SUBSTATION NO. 8: Lubbock, Lubbock County _ R. E. KARPER, B. S., Superintendent SUBSTATION NO. 9: Pecos, Reeves County J. W. JACKSON, B. S., Superintendent SUBSTATION NO. 10: (Feeding and Breeding Substation), College Station, Brazos County E. R. SPENcE, B. S., Animal Husbandman in Charge o‘ Farm _ _ _ G. F. JoRnAN, B. S., Scientific Assistant SUBSTATION NO. 11: Nacogdoches, Nacog- doches County _ G. T. McNEss, Superintendent **SUBSTATION NO. 12: Chillicothe, Harde- man County _ R. W. EDWARDS, B. S., Superintendent SUBSTATION NO. 13: Sonora, Sutton County E. M. PETERs, B. S., Acting Superintendent ares CLERICAL ASSISTANTS J. M. SCHAEDEL, Stenogra her DAISY LEE, Registration Cilerk W. CHRISTIAN, Stenographer ELIZABETH WALKER, Stenographer E. E. KILBoRN, Stenographer *As of Decemiber 1, 1916. C. L. DURsT, Mailing Clerk A. T. JAcKsoN, Stenographer W. E. TURNER, Stenographer A CARL ABELL, Scientific Assistant **In cooperation with United States Department of Agriculture. CONTENTS. _ PAGE Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5 Meteorological records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5 Small grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6 Barleys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. '7 Oats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 9 White emmer and spelt in comparison with Winter barley and Winter oats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 11 Rye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Method of preparing land for wheat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 11 Cotton .> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 14. Corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 14 Cowpeas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Peanuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 16 Miscellaneous legumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 16 Grasses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 16 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .» . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 [Blank Page in Original Bulletin] PROGRESS REPORT TEXAS SUBSTATION NO. 6, DENTON, TEXAS, 1909-14. BY V. L. Coax, B. S, SUPERINTENDENT. This substation, which is in Denton county, known at first as the Denton Substation, and later, as at present, as Substation No. 6, was established in April, 1910. The site selected was a tract of land con- sisting of 101 acres, and was one and one-half miles southwest of the town of .Denton. Active work was started in the fall of 1910 and continued for the crop years of 1911, 1912 and 1913. In October of 1913 a new site was secured for the substation. This change was made because the former site contained so many variations in soil type that reliable experiments could not be conducted, and, in addition, was not typical of the great small grain belt, the region principally served by this substation. The new farm is well suited to experiment work. The Substation is now located four miles northwest of Denton and three and one-half miles southeast of Krum. The farm consists of 203 acres, in a rectangle. While the land is rolling in places, considerable of it is quite level, having scarcely enough fall to drain well. One-half of the new farm is wrell adapted to use for field experiments. Although severely handicapped by a very non-uniform soil until this year and by the recent move to the new location, this substation has been able to conduct a large amount of experiment work of certain kinds. This report deals with the early and more or less interrupted part of the substation’s investigations,-—being a report for the crop years 1910 to 1914, inclusive. ’ It must be realized that the results presented are fragmentary, since much of the work that is now under way must be continued for a number of years before any reliable conclusions may be drawn. Because it was necessary to make as good use of the first farm as possible, it was necessary to confine the things undertaken very largely to a comparison of varieties of small grain. The work has usually been repeated two or three times each year. It has been conducted long enough to be of value. Experiment-s with corn, cotton, cowpeas, introduced. clovers and grasses, and a large amount of wheat breeding by selection, are also under way’, but because of irregularity of soil conditions during the early years of the substation’s history, the results of these investigations are not as yet reliable. METEOROLOGICAL RECORDS. Accurate records of the temperature and the precipitation are avail- able from the month of July, 1912i, to date. In meteorological records averages and means are not of great value when covering a short period of two or three years, this time being too short to establish a reliable 6 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. normal. In Table I the rainfall by months is given and the monthly and yearly averages shown. These figures are presented here to show the conditions under which the experiments were conducted. TABLE I. Precipitation by Months. Years of 1912, 1913 and 1914. Rainfall in Inches. Month. 1912 1913 1914 Average. January . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.37 .39 1.38 February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.27 1 . 65 1.46 Marc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1.93 1.84 1.89 April . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.52 6.07 3.80 May . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 4.11 4.25 4.18 June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1.76 .52 1.14 July . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .14 2.55 .94 1.21 August . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 9.00 0 12.30 7.10 September . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 4.53 2.17 2.37 October . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1.16 2.39 .41 1.32 November . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 5.84 4.66 3.55 December . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 .25 4.33 4.43 3.34 Totals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 60 39.63 32.74 The average annual rainfall of the two years, 1913 and 1914, is 36.12 inches, whereas with the inclusion of the six months of 1912 the sum of the monthly averages shows an annual rainfall of 32.74 inches, which is believed to be close to normal. ‘ SMALL GRAIN. The small grain variety and selection tests of all kinds have for their foundation the final testing of the varieties in field plats. Twenty-one varieties of winter wheat have been tested for three years and twelve of them have been tested four years. The results are set forth in Table II. TABLE II. Results With Wheat Varieties. 1911-1914. T Average Yield in Bushels. T. S. Variety. yDe- {Na 1911 1912 1913 1914 3Yrs. 4Yrs. 580 Defiance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hard Red. . . . . 9.97 28.30 43.17 9.66 27.04 22.79 592 Bacska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hard . . . . . . . . . 10.63 25.47 37.67 11 .66 24.93 21.35 599 German Emperor. .. . . . . . Soft Beardless.. 3.20 22.13 38.28 14.00 24.60 21.65 615 Mediterranean . . . . . . . . . . Soft Bearded.. . . . . . . . 23.22 33.62 16.78 24.54 . . . . . . 585 Turkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Hard Red. . . . . 13.47 17.50 44.55 10.85 24.30 21.61 613 Diehl Mediterranean... . . Soft Bearded.. . . . . . . . 21.25 36.10 13.33 23.56 . . . . ; . 614 Mediterranean . . . . . . . . . . Soft Bearded.. . . . . . . . 24.00 30.17 16.03 23.40 . . . . . . 583 Kharko . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Hard Red. . . . . 17.62 18.80 39.40 11.07 23.09 21.72 598 Poole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soft Beardless.. 12.40 24.22 28.30 15.88 22.80 20.20 616 Miracle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soft Bearded.. . 11.08 19.92 34.83 15.52 22.76 20.34 587 Crimean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Hard Re . . . . . 17.33 16.78 35.60 14.57 22.31 21.07 Ulta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hard Re . . . . . . . . . .. 12.33 50.35 4.10 22.26 . . . . .. 589 Burger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Hard Red. . . . . 13.60 20.72 34.83 10.85 22.13 20 00 611 Rud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soft Bearded. . . . . . . . . 15.55 35.60 13.90 21.68 . . . . .. 618 Abundance . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soft Beardless.. . . . . . . 15.50 35.97 13.43 21.63 . . . . . . 588 Eversole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Hard Red. . . .. 14.67 14.95 38.75 10.82 21.50 19.79 617 Michigan Amber . . . . . . . . Soft Beardless. . . . . . . 23.05 30.55 13.63 21 .41 . . . . . . 594 Fulcasterj. . . . f; . . . . . . . . Soft Bearded.. . 12.13 19.92 33.38 9.23 20.84 18.66 595 Ironclad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soft Bearded. . 13.87 16.08 31.72 13.22 20.33 18.71 600 Oregon Red...... Soft Beardless.. . . . . .. 11.67 35.00 11.97 19.54 . . . . .. Dawson’s G. C . . . . . . . . . . Soft Beardless.. . . . . . . .00 30.88 11 55 16.47 . . . . . . Paoonnss REPORT TEXAS SUBSTATION No. 6, DENTON. 7 The foregoing table includes those varieties which have been grown for three or four yjears that are still being grown. _ Of the twenty-one varieties, eight are hard red, seven are soft bearded, and six are soft beardless. A number of varieties of the Turkey type have been tested here in comparison with a large number of soft varieties. The Turkey type is a hard red wheat with small to medium heads, white chaff and light colored, rather small stems. These wheats are bearded, except for a few varieties. The results of the experiments show. that Defiance and Bacska have been the leading varieties of the hard red group. The Durum wheats have not shown much value here. Spring wheat seems to have little value in this section. As a class the hard red wheats have yielded better than the others in every year except 1914. While the hard wheats of the Turkey type have been more satis- factory than the soft wheats for the four years tested, the fact that they did not do so well in 1914 shows that they are not so well adapted for the extremely wet years. Such years are not common, and for the average they would seem to be better adapted to this section than other types. These wheats are better milling wheats than the soft varieties, including the Mediterranean. They are of the same type as those grown in Northwest Texas. The standard of wheat in this section is Mediterranean, after which, in point of interest, comes Fulcaster. The Mediterranean type is a blue—stemmed, golden chass, semi-hard, soft red wheat, ranking well both in yield and in quality. While the hard red wheats are superior to Mediterranean in quality, it is doubtful if they should be grown east- of here. In fact. unless we can secure better hard wheats than We now have, it is hardly advisable to attempt their use instead of the softer ports, like Mediterranean. The Fulcaster type is a white chass, red wheat, inclined to have blue stems. It is classed as a soft wheat. There is always some inquiry about beardless wheats, and such vari- eties are likelyi to be favored by grain growers. German Emperor, Poole and Red May seem to be the best- of the beardless soft wheats. They often make larger yields than the bearded wheats, and usually are of a fair quality. They do not seem to stand the rains after harvest as well as do the bearded wheats. They are easily handled, but thresh out rather readily and may shatter if not handled right. In addition to the varieties of wheat mentioned, tests have been con- ducted with spring wheats and with Durum or “Macaroni” wheats, both of which classes of wheats have made a very poor showing in our tests. BARLEYS. Thus far most of the barley varieties grown have been tested for both spring and fall seeding. From Tables III and IV it will be seen that better results were secured from the fall plantings in most cases. The hull-less and the hooded types of barley have given com- paratively poor results. The White Smyrna and the Black Smyrna are early maturing two-row varieties, with a decided tendency to shortness TEXAS ‘AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. FIGURE I——SMALL GRAIN VARIETY TEST PLATS. Pnoonnss REPORT Texas SUBSTATION No. 6, DENTON. 9 of growth, making their harvesting rather difficult in some years. Odessa, Stavropol, Caucasian, Yenidje, Manchuria, and Bonanza, are six-row varieties. The work in 1914 indicates that barley is not well adapted to wet conditions. Tennessee Winter is outstanding as the best variety of barley for this section. . It is believed that spring seeding of barleys should not be practiced in this section, except when the winter seeding has been killed. Then, it should be remembered, it is necessary to plant a spring variety. It is of importance to use a variety that has proved to be especially adapted "for winter seeding, such as the Tennessee Winter. TABLE III. Variety Test of Barley for Fall Seeding. Yield in Bushels to the Acre. t No.'Yrs. T. S. Variety. Average aver- No. 1911 1912 191a 1914 l aged. 643 Tennessee Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.39 35.00 15.92‘ 32.10 3 642 Black Smyrna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.75 31 .88 12.02 26.88 3 639 Odessa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.50 _ 38.98 0 24.83 3 637 Stavropol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.00 34.44 36.23 0 21 .42 4 641 White Smyrna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.00 33.29 * 32.65 2 638 Caucasian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.33 26.54 38.65 0 20.13 4 640 Yenidje . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 20.33 34.04 0 18.12 3 644 Hooded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8.52 25.10 0 11.21 3 Yearly average of varieties l tested . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 15.17 29.93 34.15 3.99} *Not planted in 1914. TABLE IV. Variety Test of Barley for Spring Seeding. Yield in Bushels to the Acre. No. Yrs. T. S. Variety. ‘ Average Aver- No. _ 1911 1912 1913 1914 aged. 641 White Smyrna . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.00 22.81 33.58 O 18.22 4 642 Black Smyrna............. 16.67 22.56 27.60 0 16.63 4 639 Odessa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 14.67 21.88 28.88 0 16.36 4 Manchuria . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 13.00 18.27 31.48 0 15.69 4 Bonanza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 14.83 11.56 26.10 '0 13.12 4 644 Hooded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.77 19.33 0 12.03 3 Yearly average of varieties tested . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.23 19.48 27.83 0 A consideration of the figures presented for the 1912 and 1913 yield of Odessa, Black Smyrna, White Smyrna and Hooded shows the loss in yield resulting from spring seeding was 6.08 bushels, as compared to fall seeding. OATS. In point of bushels yielded and ease of production, the best small grain crop now grown in this section isoats. The field plat tests thus far made here have been confined to a limited number of varieties, some of which were planted in the fall, as well as the spring. 10 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. TABLE V. Variety Test of Oats for Fall Seeding. Yield in Bushels to the Acre. Average T. S. Variety. 1912- j N0. 1911 | 1912 I 1913 l 1914 1914 636 Texas Red Rust Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.31 55.02 18.80 £142.37 635 Texas Red Rust Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.60 48.40 35.31 14.31 32.67 TABLE VI. Variety Test of Oats for Springfleeding. _ Yield in Bushels to the Acre. Average T. S. Variety. 1912- No. 1911 1912 I 1913 I 1914 13-14 636 R_ed Rust Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 . 10 49.82 23.32 41.41 430 Sixty Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.83 69.97 33.44 11.81 38.40 433 Burt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 14.63 42.72 45.31 20.13 36.05 434 Ninety Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.03 49.06 19.38 35.49 432 Red Siberian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.75 34.38 24.68 32.60 431 Red Algerian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.50 34.38 25.65 30.84 635 Red Rust Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30. 10 25.33! 3.43 19.62 as The Red Rust Proof is the standard variety of oats for this section, and it has shown up better both in the fall and spring plantings than have the other varieties. The Sixty Day, Burt, and Ninety Day vari- eties are valuable for late seeding and for dry seasons. The results indicate no appreciable advantage to be gained from fall seeding, there being less than one bushel difference in the results for three yea.rs with T. S. No. 636, Texas Red Rust Proof, when planted for comparison of the fall and spring sown yields. TABLE VII. Emmer and Spelt in Comparison with Winter Barley and Oats. Yield to the Acre in Bushels. T. S. Crop. Pounds. N0. 1912 I 1913 I 1914 lAverage. 643 Tennessee Winter Barley . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.42 35.00 15.92 32.11 1541 636 Red Rust Proof Oats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.31 55.02 18.80 42.37 1355 646 Red Winter Spelt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.29 49.46 9.00 38.58 1074 645 Black Winter Ernmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43.57 38.82 12.75 31 .71 887 The results indicate that Tennessee Winter barley is the most de- pend-able one of the lot, with Red Rust Proof oats next in point of desirability. Neither Spelt nor Emmer have given promise of any superiority over the better winter barleys and oats, and their culture do-es not seem advisable for this section. Tennessee Winter barley is one of the superior crops that we have found, and it has been increased and distributed with excellent results. It has been quite uniform in growth and in the crop of grain, besides being free from plant diseases. It has wintered well and has produced good crops. This barley seems to meet the demands of our section fairly well as a feed crop. PROGRESS REPORT “Texas SUBSTATION No. 6, DENroN. 11 WHITE EMMER AND SPELT TN COMPARISON lVITfI WINTER BARLEY AND “IINTER OATS. There is more or less inquiry regarding little used types of small grain. It is a fact that both Emmer and Spelt are very hardy. They may each be used for stock feed, being ground for such use. Table VII gives the experiment results with these two small grain crops, and also gives comparable yields of winter barley and winter oats, taken from Tables III and IV. The yields are given in both bushels and pounds, because the various grains do not all weigh the same to the bushel. RYE. The varieties of rye grown ‘have shown very little difference, and none is more especially promising than the others. There appears to be no really good rye for this section, and there is not much need of one. Winter barley is to be preferred as a cover crop and as a crop for winter pasturage. Rye has the advantage of being hardier, and will survive usually when winter barley is winter killed, but such occa- sions are infrequent, and practically need not be considered. TABLE VHL V Yield in Bushels to the Acre. 't . ane y 1911 1912 I 1913 Average. F’; w‘: _ Monster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.57 20.36 14. 64 15.86 Russian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 9.71 22.50 13.39 15.20 Ivanoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 9.43 18.93 13.75 14.04 Average . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 10.57 20.60 I 13.93 l METHOD OF PREPARING LAND FOR WHEAT. There is not sufficient importance attached to the great crop loss occasioned by poor and late preparation of the seedbed for wheat. Experiments covering this and related subjects are being conducted at this substation. The results of these experiments condu.cted in“ 1913 are shown in Tables IX, X, XI and XII. TABLE IX. Early Plowing Versus Late Plowing of Stubble for Wheat. 1914. Description Yield in Description of Plowing. of cultivation bushels Number after plowing. to the acre. plats in test. Plowed early, deap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cultivated. . . . . 32.62 2 Plowed early, deep, replowed late, shallow. . . Cultivated. . . . . 32.58 1 Plowed medium early, deep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cultivated. . . . . 20.41 1 Plowed early, shallow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iCultivated. . . . . 24.00 1 Plowed late, shallow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . lCultivated. .. . . 22.00 y Plowed very late, shallow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iCultivated. . . . . 20.41 12 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. In Table IX it is clearly shown that late plowing made poor yields. There is some difference from year to year in the yields from early and medium early plowing, because of the distribution of the summer rainfall, but to date the experiments show that wheat fields should be plowed as soon after harvest as possible, and that no plowing should be ' neglected until September. Undoubtedly some of the loss due to late plowing is because of the great draft made upon the moisture and plant food of the soil by weeds in the stubble. Experiments now under way show that most of the good results of early plowing are due to the plowing and the culti- vation which followed plowing. TABLE X. Deep Plowing Versus Shallow Plowing of Stubble for Wheat. 1913. _ Description Yield in bushels Number Description of Plowing. of cultivation. to the acre. plats tested. Plowed deep, early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kept cultivated 32.62 2 Plowed medium deep, early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kept cultivated 27.91 1 Plowed shallow, early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kept cultivated 24.00 1 Plowed late, shallow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cultivated. . . . . 22.00 1 Plowed very late, shallow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cultivated. . . . . 20.41 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In Table X there is not reported a plat that was plowed deeply late in the season. The experiment, therefore, cannot be regarded as com- plete, but the information is presented for what it may be worth. It is clearly brought out that for early plowing" there is a progressive loss due to shallow and medium-deep plowing as compared to deep plowing. It is frequently said that small grain crops require no cultivation except just suflicient plowing to insure a stand. Table XI shows how misleading such an idea is. If the stubble bakes and grows up to weeds and is ploweddate, it makes poorer yields than under more intensive cultivation. The early plowing or deep plowing indicated to be necessary as shown in Tables IX and X, is not the only thing needed to insure good. yields. Once the ground is plowed it must be fitted and kept in condition. This consists of disking, harrowing, and similar surface tillage, at intervals throughout the summer, and is comparable to the cultivation given corn or cotton during its growth, except that for small grain the cultivation is given in advance of seeding. Under ordinary conditions, the amount of surface tillage needed is not great. How much attention a field requires is largely a matter of seasonal conditions. After it is plowed the land should. be worked down with the drag harrow. Thereafter enough harrowing, disking, or other cultivation, should be given during the balance of the season to conserve the moisture, prevent the formation of a heavy surface crust, and to keep down weeds. There seems to be little doubt that the presence of weeds may be taken to mean that the field is in need of cialtivration. Praoonnss REroaT TEXAS SUBSTATION No. 6, DENToN. 13 TABLE XI. Cultivation Versus No Cultivation After Plowing for Wheat-—l9l3. _ _ Description Yield in bushels Number Description of Plowing. of cultivation. to the acre. plats tested. Plowed deep, early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kept cultivated 32.62 2 Plowed deep, early, replowed late, shallow. . . Kept cultivated 32.58 1 Plowed deep, early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Not cultivated 17 .66 1 Plowed medium deep, early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kept cultivated 20.41 1 Plowed medium deep, early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Not cultivated 19.58 1 Plowed shallow, late . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kept cultivated 22.00 1 Plowed shallow, late . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Not cultivated 17.41 1 FIGURE 2—SMALL THRESHER USED IN THRESHING SMALL GRAIN ' FROM EXPERIMENT PLATS. In Table XI it will be seen that the lack of tillage after plowing caused the early plowed but not cultivated plats to yield about the same as the late plowed and not cultivated plats, while the plats that were Well cared for throughout the season made very good yields. This cultivation from July 15 until seeding time did not cost much, and the early plowing did not co-st much more than later plowing, but the two taken together show a gain of at least 12 bushels of wheat to the acre. In, this district the common practice is to give very little preparation to corn land before seeding it to wheat in the fall. The results shown in Table XII throw some light on what preparation wheat needs when grown on such land. It should. be remembered that August of 1913 was very wet. An interesting fact brought out in this table is the comparison between drilling and broadcasting. 14 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT Sr.»vr1o.\*. TABLE XII. Method of Preparation of Corn Land for Wheat. Yield in Bushels How prepared. How planted. to the acre. Plowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drilled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.08 Plowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Broadcasted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.50 Disked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drilled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.25 Disked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Broadcasted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.00 Nothing done . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drilled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.66 COTTON. Experiments With cotton have been conducted in the years of 1912, 1913 and 1914. In 1913 the number of tests with cotton Was 100, and in 1914 the tests numbered 159. The Work of 1914 Was not success- ful, due t0 the Wet spring and damage by the Worms. The results secured in 1913 Were poor, too, the land being spotted and not in good shape to produce good yields. In 1913 cotton gave better results I ne~sxtt FIGURE 3—SMALL GRAIN NURSERY. THOUSANDS OF SELECTED PLANTS HAVE BEEN TRIED OUT IN THIS WAY. . for flat plowing than it did for bedding. Better results Were obtained in check roWs than Where the seed Were drilled in the roW. In that year a test Was made With dynamiting as a. soil preparation, but it appeared to be of no benefit. coRN. Corn variety tests have been conducted every year since the estab- lishment of the substation. The best varieties tested are listed in Tables XIII, XIV and XV. i PROGRESS Rnronr TEXAS SUBSTATION No. 6, DENTON. 1_5 TABLE XIII. Corn Variety Test, 1912. Best Five VarietiesiTested. Yield, T. S. Name. Source. bushels N0. to the acre. 30 Oklahoma White Wonder. . Texas Seed and Floral Co., Dallas, Texas . . . . . . 26.96 . . . Cowan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.47 28 Improved Indian Squaw.. . Texas Seed and Floral Co., Dallas, Texas. . . . . . 21 .75 386 Hildreth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W. R. Hildreth, Altamont, Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . 21 .43 61 Strawberry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J. L. F. Fentress, San Saba, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . _ 19.83 TABLE XIV. Corn Variety Test, 1913. Best Varieties Tested. Yield, T. S. Name. Source. bushels No. to the acre. 317 ‘Surcropper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. M. Ferguson, Sherman, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . A 29.69 318 Surcropper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. M. Ferguson, Sherman, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 29.28 . . . Cowan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.82 . . . Commercial White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.20 352 Boone Count _ White. . . . . T. W. Wood & Sons, Richmond, Virginia . . . . . . 25.90 28 - Improved In ian Squaw.. . Texas Seed and Floral Co., Dallas, Texas. . . . . . 25. 51 319 Chisholm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. M. Ferguson, Sherman, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.70 TABLE XV. Corn Variety Test, 1914. Best Seven VarietiesjTested. Yield, T. S. Name. Source. bushels No. to the acre. 318 Surcropper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. M. Ferguson, Sherman, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . , 22.12 924 Surcropper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. M. Ferguson, Sherman, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 . 12 922 Surcropper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. M. Ferguson,_Sherman, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.58 . . . Commercial White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.36 . . . Cowan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16._24 317 Surcropper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. M. Ferguson, Sherman, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.14 Surcropper has shown itself as the most certain variety we can grow, and has given more good corn than any other variety. The distinc- tively large and late Southern sorts, like Giant White and Giant Yellow, have not made yields as good as the average. The Strawberry varieties have not ziveraged very well. Plantings have been made- in the months of March, April, May and June, with results depending largely upon the character of the season. Whether the late plantings will make corn depends largely upon the rainfall, but in most years such plantings will make some corn. For late plantings some of the better June corns are more reliable. Their chief value is for planting where the early corn lo0_ks unpromising, or to plant after stubble. ' COWPEAS. A yield of seed‘ was secured on two of the early varieties of eowpeas in the dry, hot summer of, 1913. Early Buff (T. S. N0. 211),and Yarkand (T. S., N0. .219), the yield of the former being at the rate of 6.26 and of the latter 0.46 bushels to the acre. The Early Buff 16 Texas AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. seems to be one of the best varieties for this section. In the pro- duction of seed the early varieties have been more dependable than the late ones, but the later maturing varieties have produced the most forage. Of the twenty varieties tested, those giving the most satis- faction are the New Era, Blackeye, Iron, Brabham, Clay, Whippoor- will, and Groit. i PEANUTS. Peanuts have been tested but two years. The results follow: TABLE XVI. Yield in Pounds to the Acre. TIL.‘ S. Variety. 1912 ' 1913 Average. o. _ Hay. | Seed. HayI I Seed. Hay. ' Seed. 51 Spanish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2280 200 5500 750 3890 476 53 Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3700 255 5000 665 4350 460 52 Tennessee Bed . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 10 1600 200 850 105 Peanuts were-not grown in 1914. While the yields reported in the table are not large, it is felt that the crop is a valuable one here. The Spanish and Virginia varieties are of equal value, apparently. MISCELLANEOUS LEGUMES. Several varieties and strains of alfalfa have been grown, but they were not especially promising. They did not make very good growth, did not winter well, and were not strongly resistant to drouth. The fact that alfalfa has not been promising on the upland in most parts of this section has made it more desirable to find a satisfactory winter legume crop. The work done in 1913 and 1914 indicates that hairy vetch is of much promise in this respect. In the latter year the growth was especially good, some runners being nine feet or more in length and where it was thick it stood up nearly two feet tall. Of the nor has it wintered well. Three burr clovers, Medicago araibica, M. augustifolia a.nd V. dasycarpa, the sativa and CZ/LLQUSIitfOZt-(I, made rela- tively poor growth and are not likely to prove of value. The other two made good growths, but villosa was somewhat the better of the two. Of the other legumes tested so far, white sweet clover has shown the most promise. Red clover, white clover and Japan clover (Lespedeza) have not done very well. Crimson clover has not made good growth, nor has it wintered well. Three b-urr clovers, Medicago arabica, M. h-ispida- confinis and M. orbicizlaris, have been tested. They have not wintered well and have not made especially good growth, but they were not sown early enough for the best results. GRASSES. , Tests with Sudan grass for seed production have not been successful. Some seed has been secured, but usually the yield has been small. This has been due to wet summer weather in some cases and also to the midge. Pnoomzss Rnrorrr Texas SUBSTATION No. 6, DENTON. 17 TABLE XVII. Sudan Grass for Forage Production. Yield in Pounds to the Acre. Rows. Planted. _ l 1st cutting. I 2nd cutting. i Total. 36 inches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 30. . . . . 3200 1375 4575 36 inches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A ril 16. . . . . 1900 1325 3225 18 inches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ay 19.. . . . 2500 600 3100 36 inches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. May 19. . . . . 1200 1100 2300 36 inches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . June 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 100 As a hay and pasture crop Sudan grass is the best crop yet tested here. Table XVII gives results in a test made to compare different widths of row planted 0n different dates. Several other grasses have been tested for both fall and spring plant- ing. Of these Rescue, Bermuda and Rhodes grasses have given very good results. SUMMARY. ___._=< Substation N0. 6 was established in 1910. The site selected com- prised 101 acres, one and one-half miles so-uthwest of Denton. Oper-. ations were continued three years at this place and then moved to a new location because of more desirable soil conditions at the new loca- tion. The new farm consists of 203 acres, five and one-half miles northwest of Denton. It is typical blackland soil and is represent- ative of the great small-grain region of North Texas. The change in location of the farm necessarily caused a break in the work, since it requires two or three years to condition a farm for experiment Work. The information presented in this report deals very largely with results secured at the old site during the three-year period of its operation. The rainfall is very well distributed in this section, August, Sep- tember, October and November usually getting good rainfall. This being the case, it is obvious that early preparation of the land influences crop production. Of twenty-one varieties of winter wheat tested over a period of three years, Defiance and Bacska have been the leading varieties of the hard red group. The Durum wheats have not shown much value. Spring wheats seem to have little value in this section. As a class, the hard red wheats have yielded better than others in every year except 1914; Results indicate that barley is a good crop for this section. Experi- ments in 1914 indicated that barley is not adapted to seasons 0-f exces- sive rainfall. Tennessee Winter barley is outstanding as the best variety for this section. Fall seeding is advised, as results indicate that spring-seeded barleys a.re not so productive. In point of yield and ease of production, oats is one of the best small grain crops for this section. The Texas Red Rust Proof oat is the standard variety and has shown better results both in fall and spring plantings than other varieties. A (romparison of Emmer, Spelt, winter barley, and oats, shows winter loarleyt most dependable, with Texas Red Rust Proof oats second in 18 Ufnxas AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. point of desirability. Neither Spelt nor Emrner has given promise of superiority over the better winter barlejys and oats. The. varieties of rye grown have shown very little difference and none shows to be more especially promising than others. There seems to be no really good rye for this section. Winter barley is preferred as a cover crop a.nd as a crop for Winter pasturage. Bye has the ad- vantage of being hardier and will survive usually when barley is winter- killed, but such occasions are infrequent. a Experiments covering early and late plowing as preparation for wheat, show consistently better yields where the land was plowed early. Deep plowing versus shallow plowing experiments show yields in favor of the deep plowing. Plowed lands that were cultivated as compared to plowed lands not cultivated until time of seeding wheat, showed consistently better yields Where the land was given intervening tillage. Plowed lands gave much ‘ better yields than either disked land or land without preparation. As to methods of planting, drilled plats showed much better yields than did broadcasted plats. In the corn work, Surcropper has shown itself the most certain vari- ety grown. The distinctively large and late Southern sorts, like Giant White and Giant Yellow have not made yields as good as the average. For very late plantings June corns have been found reliable. The Early Buff cowpea has been found to be one of the best varieties for seed. Other varieties which have been very satisfactory are: New Era, Blackeye, Iron, and Brabham. _ Peanuts tests in 1912 and 1913 indicated that the small Spanish and Virginia varieties are both superior to the Tennessee Red. A number of miscellaneous legumes, including vetches, Lespedeza and clovers have been tested. None have shown themselves exception- ally well suited to conditions here. Sudan grass has proved one of the best hay and pasture grasses tested at this place.