Imperial Valley press., 1944-04-03
Farm Meet Hears
MeIoIand Report
Continued from nage onel


harvested in April to August. Sum-
mer paintings as supplement to
fall paintings would add at least 60
days to harvest season and factory
run. Variety trials Of October
planted beetS are being continued
Non-bolting, curly top resistant,
high yields. and good quality are
sought. us. No. Is has made the
nearest approach to these qualifica-
tions and is being used exclusively
in commercial fall paintings. Four
teen varieties under trial this sea-
son.
SORGHUMS: Sarge for sucrose
trials in cooperation with the USDA
division of sugar plants inveStiga-
tions continued with Is varieties
included in the planting of June %,
1913, in single rows IA inches apart
and six-inch spacing between plants.
Seven irrigationS were given and
the crop harvested November l6 to
Is. Stalk production per acre varied
from ll6S to 23l1 tons - sucroSe
from 1916 per cent to 20.l8 per
cent; purity from 1893 per cent
to 84.06 per cent; and juice yield
from .86l to 4557 tons per acre.
To be continued in 1914. Three
varieties of waxy sorghum planted
July matured November l to 19.
Leoti Atlas HC 40-17 produced
seed at the rate of 3.104 pounds an
acre: Leoti Atlas HC Alb made
2,369 pounds; and Waxy club HC
397 produced 2,287 pounds an acre.
The height of waxy club was five
feet and the Leoti hybrids seven
feet. Imperial Kafir, leafy, erect
white grain root rot resistant de-
veloped by Goar used as some COM
mercial paintings in the valley in
l943. One yield of 102 acres pro-
duced grain at the rate of 1888
tons an acre. Two 20-acre fields
produced at the rate of % tons an
acre Juice of this variety tested II
per cent sucrose.
FLAX: In cooperation with USDA
station produced and shipped more
than 100 6pounds of disease re-
sistant flaxseed from Montana.
North Dakota, and Minnesota. Two
selections from Punjab CT. 20 being
increased as is Calar CT. 463 as
foundation seed.
RUBBER PLANTS: Guayule
plants one or two years from trans
planting making fair growth under
irrigation en- clay soil. Rubber con-
! tent not determined. Russian DAN
delion apparently unsuited to this
climate. Madagascar vine set out
in fall of 1912 made 10-foot growth
in first year. Will apparently thrive
under local conditions.
PERMANENT PASTURES: These
varieties apparently we'll adapted
to Imperial Valley. tall fescue,
meadow fescue, Harding, prairie,
rye Eallis Rhodes, Spanish canary,
Smilo, Para, Kikiyu, Giant Bermuda,
alfalfa, Huban clover, white and
yellow sweet clover, lotus cornicu-
lata, Berseem clover. and bar clover.
Exact ratio. rate of seeding, best
kind and number of varieties not
determined.
| CARROTS: Four varieties grown
| for dehydration and carotene tests,
red core chantenay. Danver'S half
long, Morse punching. and Impera-
tor In January harvest at Davis
showed all varieties had higher
carotent than in Imperial Valley
but in February harvest valley
paintings considerable higher than
at Davis. All varieties from I'm
perial except Imperator were high
er than Davis in March harvest
Red Core Chantenay from valley
station tested .093 per cent in March,
Davis tested .063. All varieties in
both areas acceptable for dehydra-
| ton.
BARLEY: Three varieties of bar
! ley tested high in diaStatic power
and Of potential value in war alco-
hol production increased in coopera-
tion with USDA and 467 pounds of
recleaned seed shipped TO Wiscon-
/ sin station.
CONDIMENT AND DRUG
CROPS: Anise, coriander, fennel,
celery seed, fenugreek, and Psysil-
lium grown for several years and
with possible exception of anise,
showed considerable promise. Licor-
ice planted in 1943 made small
/ growth. Borage, savory, caraway,
Sorrel, sage, and dill trials to be
continued.
/ SAFFLOWER: Succeeds we'll as a
fall planted crop. Working now on
breeding a spineless variety of high
producing strain.
GUAR: Has been successfully
grown at station for more than 20
years Since 1t has value as mucil-
age producing plant, it is necessary
to breed a variety with uniformly
colored seeds and a more erect type
of growth better suited to mechan-
ical harvest.
FORAGE: Berseem clover and
prairie grass grown as companion
crops apparently ideal for winter
and spring harvest and may well be
used as supplement to permanent
pasture. Seeding 20 pounds of each
per acre in early October provided
good pasture from December to
May. Seed production of both good;
average yield was about 500 pounds
per acre.
DRAINAGE: Drainage and soil
reclamation is most important prof.
ect of station at this time. Since
installation Of tile in 1889, the mean
head of ground water has been re-
duced to the approximate tile line
depth. Station plots have been
leached submerged so days and
are now producing good uniform
crop growth and show no effects
of alkaU.