Statistical studies were made on comparable data derived from fermentation time test, protein content, and baking tests on (a) 12 soft and semi-hard varieties of wheat grown at three locations in Indiana in the four seasons of 1930 to 1933, inclusive, and on (b) 12 typical soft wheat varieties grown at Lafayette, Indiana, for 4 years, 1931 to 1934, inclusive. The analysis of the data from these tests revealed that the fermentation time test accurately appraised the gluten quality of the wheats studied. It gave consistent results one year with another at all locations. Much spread in quality was obtained among the soft wheat varieties. Small differences were found in protein content and loaf volume in the soft wheats studied. Loaf volume data, especially, were inconsistent and erratic. On the basis of these analyses, together with the favorable results reported by a large number of investigators, the fermentation time test may be regarded as a reliable guide in measuring the relative gluten quality of soft winter wheats.

A 2-year rotation of corn and winter wheat at Akron, Colo., was used to determine the effect of different spacings of corn on the yield of the corn and the following wheat crop. Twelve crops of corn were grown from 1924 to 1935, inclusive, and nine crops of winter wheat. Failure to obtain stands through winter-killing and insect injury accounted for the loss in winter wheat crops. The highest 12-year average yield of ear corn was 13.3 bushels per acre for 24-inch spaced plants in 44-inch rows. This spacing is recommended for grain production for conditions similar to those found at Akron. The 12-year average yield of 9.2 bushels per acre of ear corn from the double-spaced rows, was 28% less than the average for five spacings in the 44-inch row plats. The highest total corn yield, 3,038 pounds per acre, was from the 12-inch spacing in 44-inch rows. The yield from the 18-inch spacing was only a little lower. From 12 to 18 inches in 44-inch rows is recommended as a spacing for silage production in this locality. Corn seeded 30 to 36 inches apart in 44-inch rows averaged about 30% ear corn by weight. That seeded 12 to 18 inches apart in 44-inch rows averaged about 20% ear corn. That seeded 24 inches apart in 44-inch rows averaged about 25% ear corn. The highest average yield of winter wheat for grain was 12.8 bushels per acre obtained from double-spaced row corn land. This was 2 bushels per acre higher than the average of the five spacings in 44-inch rows. There was a loss in ear corn production of 3.6 bushels per acre when the double-spaced row plat was compared with the average for the five spacings in the 44-inch rows. The gain in wheat yield did not more than compensate for the loss in corn. Planting corn in double-spaced rows decreased yields markedly in years of good production and did not increase the sureness of production in poor years. There was not a single adverse year when the yield of double-rowed corn equalled that of thin-spaced corn in regular width rows. The greatest total production of ear corn and wheat grain was obtained from land where corn plants were spaced 24 inches apart in 44-inch rows. The greatest total weights of corn and wheat (grain, stover, and straw) were obtained from the 12-inch spaced corn in 44-inch rows

Germination tests were made on the seeds of various farm crops adapted to Colorado conditions which had been stored in a dry, unheated room for periods varying from 1 to 15 years. The germination percentage of wheat, oats, and barley declined slowly for the first 10-year period with a sharp break in germination between the tenth and twelfth years. The drop in germination was as great or greater from the tenth to the fifteenth year as it was from the first to the tenth year. There were indications of different reactions to storage between 6-row hulled, 2-row hulled, and 6-row hulless barleys. Rosen rye and Wisconsin Black soybeans did not maintain their viability to the same degree as wheat, oats, and barley. The trend, however, was the same. The break occurred between the sixth and eighth years and dropped off very rapidly afterward. Black Amber sorghum still maintained an excellent germination percentage after being stored for 10 years. Yellow dent corn germinated well for the first 6 years and dropped off rapidly between the ninth and tenth years and again between the twelfth and thirteenth years. The germination percentage of Rosen rye, Wisconsin Black soybeans, and corn was low at the end of the period of the test.

Farmers in Ohio object to bearded wheats, and there are practical reasons why beardless wheats are more desirable. Unless awns have a real capacity to increase yields, bearded segregates could be dropped from nursery plats with advantage. Within any class of wheat, except white, there was a decrease in the proportion of bearded wheats grown in the United States from 1919 to 1929. Evidence concerning the value of awns presented by other investigators is contradictory and apparently the usefulness of beards is not the same in all locations. In Ohio a study of 3,695 bearded and 4,590 beardless heads from eight segregating populations in three seasons indicated a probable slight increase in yield resulting from the presence of the awn. For practical purposes, however, the advantage was negligible, and there seems no reason for carrying bearded selections in the breeding nursery. It is suggested on purely theoretical grounds that a function of the awn affecting yield may be its role in removing from the translocation system of the plant at filling time substances (possibly silicates, for example) which otherwise might interfere with the rapid movement of material into the grain.