A large number of strains have been selected from crosses of winter wheats with either Hope or H-44 (spring wheats). These have been tested in the plot and nursery trials at St. Paul and Waseca, Minn., for their winterhardiness, disease resistance, and milling and baking characteristics. Data from these trials are presented, and in addition data are given on three spring wheats for comparison. Cold resistance tests were made on these strains by growing them in the greenhouse and freezing in low temperature chambers. Correlation coefficients calculated for winter injury in the field versus cold resistance, as determined by the artificial freezing in cold chambers, were low. It may be that all these strains are equally cold resistant or perhaps the field test does not always bring out true differences in cold resistance. Strains have been obtained from these crosses and backcrosses that are relatively satisfactory in yield, winterhardiness, leaf and stem rust resistance, and in milling and baking characteristics. A number of the strains produced from the winter wheat crosses and backcrosses are equal to or superior to three spring wheats in yield, leaf and stem rust resistance, and in certain quality characters. In Montana, progress is being made in the breeding of hardy winter wheats that are resistant both to dwarf and ordinary smut.

Two varieties representing erect and prostrate types of each of the winter small grains, oats, barley, wheat, and rye, were grazed with sheep at Knoxville, Tenn. during the years 1943-44, 1944-45, and 1945-46 to determine the effects of this forage removal on subsequent grain yields, plant height, tillering, and maturity. The rye, barley, and oats produced approximately equal amounts of forage in the fall, whereas the wheat produced the least fall forage. In the spring the rye furnished the largest amount of forage, the barley and wheat next largest, and the oats the smallest amount. In total forage production, rye out-yielded the other small grains with only minor differences in total forage yields occurring between barley, wheat, and oats. Differences in forage production between erect and prostrate varieties of the same small grains were minor and did not appear to be related to growth habit. Grazing with sheep as practiced in these experiments was detrimental to grain production of all the four small grains. On a percentage basis this reduction in grain yield ranged from a low of 23.2% to a high of 46.7%, depending upon the variety and kind of small grain. Except for rye, growth habit was directly related to grain yield reductions caused by grazing. The prostrate growing types suffered less reduction than the erect types. Grazing also reduced plant height and tillering and postponed ripening from 4 to 8 days. As regards these characteristics, growth habit was associated only with plant height reduction; as in the case of grain yield, the height of prostrate varieties was reduced less by grazing than that of erect varieties. As indicated by chemical analyses of the forage obtained only in 1945-46, small grain forage is high in protein, calcium, and phosphorus. Fall forage proved to be superior to spring forage in the components mentioned. Observations on palatability indicated that oats were preferred by sheep to the other small grains. The palatability relationships of the other small grains and of the varieties themselves were not clear, since the sheep were inconsistent in their preferences. There did not appear to be any direct association between palatability of the various varieties and their growth habits.

In the research carried out observations have been made as to the effect of plant hormone products upon weeds and several cultured crops. In the tests have been used hormone dusts Agroxone and Bayer 2,4 D, also hormone sprays Bayer 2,4 D, Hormotox II, 2—4 Dow Weed Killer and Weedone. The tests or field experiments have been made in Tuusula, 40 km from Helsinki, on the school farm of Järvenpää and also on the farm of Kyrölä. Part of tests was placed in cereal crop cultures, the other parts on potato and beet crops, grasslands, stubble fields, flax cultures, gardens, small woods and free places. The effect of the above named hormone products was different. The most sensitive weeds in the trials were Brassica campestris, Raphanus raphanistrum and Equisetum arvense. Medium sensitive were a great number of weeds as Erysimum cheiranthoides, Thlaspi arvense, Capsella bursa pastoris, Sonchus arvensis, S. oleraceus, Cirsium arvense, Urtica dioica, Potentilla anserina, Gnaphalium uliginosum, Chenopodium album and Ranunculus repens. More durable weeds than the above mentioned species were Galeopsis speciosa, G. tetrahit, Stellana media, Spergula arvensis, Viola tricolor, Polygonum lapathifolium, P. convolvulus, Lamium purpureum, Rumex acetosa, R. acetosella, Matricaria inodora, Achillea millefolium, Anthriscus silvestris, Aegopodium podagraria, Taraxacum vulgare, Leontodon autumnalis, Senecio vulgaris, Galium spurium, Chamamerium angustifolium, Artemisia vulgaris, Mentha arvensis and Stachys paluster. Perfect or were durable were Agropyrum repens, Linaria vulgaris, Centauren cyanus, Solidago virga-aurea, Myosotis arvensis, Plantago major, Pinnaria officinalis and Polygonum aviculare. Among the cultivated plants were Brassica campestris v. rapa, Br. napus v. napobrassica, Br. oleracea, v. capitata, Raphanus sativus v. radiculata, Beta vulgaris v. crassn (food beet), Beta vulgaris v. altissima (sugar beet), Beta vulgaris v. rapa, Daucus carota, Spinacia oleracea, Lactuca sutiva and Petroselinum hortense very sensitive for the hormone poison application. Considerably suffered also Trifolium spp, Pisum spp, Vida saliva, Phaseolus spp., Linum usitatissimum, Cichorium intybus and Ruhus idaeus and also a few decorative plants (Helianthus annuus and Calendula officinalis). The cereal crops (rye, winter wheat, summer wheat, oats and barley) are not damaged in the trials except for barley and summer wheat. The length-growth of barley weakened about 10 cm and m summer wheat appeared a small malformation of ears. The application with plant hormone products did not damage or damaged only a little Pirus malus, Ribes spp, Fragaria grandiflora, Solanum lycopersicum, S. tuberosum, Nicotiana rustica, Armoracia rusticana, Cucumis sativus, Allium spp. and Rheum rhaponticum. Among trees and bushes proved Alnus incarta very sensitive for the hormone applications. The other deciduous trees and bushes have been only a little damaged in the triale and the coniferous trees not at all. Among the hormone products experimented with in these trials were the sprays diluted according to directions for use more effective than the corresponding amounts of dusts (200—250 kg/hc). Greater quantities of dust (300--400 kg kg/hc), however, were as effective as the diluted sprays. Most effective were the strong sprays but they damaged also most culture plants. On sand soils was the effect of hormone products quicker and more perfect than on clay soils. The effect of hormone application turned to be quicker in the middle of the summer than in the later part of it. The effect of the hormone products was obviously better upon plants in the later stage of development, the test series having been organized in the middle and later part of the summer, the effect of hormone products was apparently worse than it might have been after treatments organized in the early part of the summer.