REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY GORDON H. TRUE, 1CHAS. S. KNIGHT, FRANK L. PETERSON. IRRIGATION EXPERIMENTS The irrigation experiments in the grain crops of White Australian wheat and Siberian oats were continued on the same schedule as in the preceding three years. Two acres, containing eight one-fifth-acre plats and two one-tenth-acre plats, are devoted to each crop. The object of the experiment is to show the relation of the time of irrigation water to the composition and the yield of the grain. The schedule of irrigations vary from three irrigations before and two after heading (maximum application) to one before and one after heading (minimum application). The one-fifth-acre plats are diked and irrigated by the flooding system. Measurements of water applied are made by means of a Cippoletti weir. Cooperative Work With Irrigation Investigations, The additional work in the soil-tank series as outlined in the 1911 report was taken up. In March a new series of tanks were installed concentric with the old installation. The tanks were filled with soil, subirrigators installed at a depth of thirteen inches and the equipment was allowed to remain undisturbed in order that soil conditions in the tanks 1 Resigned January 1, 1912. might become uniform. In April, Tanks 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 were planted to a club wheat. It was designed to give Tanks 9 and 10 the minimum quantity of water possible and still have the plants grow; Tanks 11 and 12 were to have close to one foot of irrigation, and Tanks 13 and 14 were to be kept at a constant percentage of moisture by having the water lost in the previous three-day period replaced after weighing. This experiment is making very excellent progress. The object of the study is to determine if possible the amount of water required by wheat at the different stages of growth, and the number of pounds of water required to produce a pound of wheat under the climatic and soil conditions at Reno, Nevada. The study of the number of pounds of water required to produce a pound of alfalfa hay were continued from last season and is making very interesting progress. It is planned to extend the soil-tank studies in crops to the sugar beet, potatoes, barley and oats. Irrigation of Alfalfa The acre plots of alfalfa used in irrigation experiments in which the flooding and furrow methods have been compared during the past two years were used in continuation of the observations this year. The results are given in the table below. Plots 20 to 23, inclusive, are 650 feet in length and have a fall of about one foot to the hundred, while the fall in Plots 24 and 25 is about the same. They are but 250 feet long and the greater amount of water used may be accounted for by more excessive waste due to the shorter rows. Corn for Silage During the spring of 1911 northern Wisconsin- and Minnesota-grown varieties of field corn were secured with the idea of testing their value for silage. All varieties were planted on May 28 and were caught by frost on August 31 before ears had formed. The following table gives the yield of fodder at the time of cutting on August 31: (In cooperation with Office of Sugar Plant Investigations, U. S. Department of Agriculture.) In these experiments the beet seed was sown about April 20, 1911, on a well-prepared seed bed. Following the seeding was a short period of warm weather which started the germination of the seed. During the first part of May a cold, wet spell set in and lasted about two weeks. This proved disastrous to many of the small tender plants, and when the crop appeared above the ground it was thought advisable to plow under the few beets present and plant the ground to some other crop. After a more careful examination, however, the stand of beets, although very poor, was found to be quite uniform on all of the plats, so it was decided to continue the investigations with the beets, since the comparison was the principal factor desired. This accounts for the small yields of beets on most of the plats. The following table gives the results of investigations on the cultural methods for sugar beets: Results of Sugar-Beet Investigations, 1911 1 Plat 1-One cultivation after each irrigation. Plat 2-Average number at usual times. Plat 3Crowd six cultivations into ordinary period. Plat 4-Extend period if practicable, operating at about usual intervals. Corn for Silage During the spring of 1911 northern Wisconsin- and Minnesota-grown varieties of field corn were secured with the idea of testing their value for silage. All varieties were planted on May 28 and were caught by frost on August 31 before ears had formed. The following table gives the yield of fodder at the time of cutting on August 31: |