T HERE was urgent need for information on cultural methods for castor beans in the early years of World War II when. the increased demands for drying oils with special qualities focused attention on the desirability of domestic production of this crop. Two of the problems investigated cooperatively by theBureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering and many state agricultural experiment stations were the rate and date of planting for those varieties which were used in the program. Mimeographed re-ports3 of all phases of the cooperative work include yearly data on the rate and date tests and list the cooperating stations and individuals. The 1941 to 1943 results of the 35 rate-of-planting tests in 13 states and the 10 date-of-planting tests in 7 states are summarized herein.
METHODS AND RESULTS
RATE-OF-PLANTING TESTSThe early work on rate of planting has been approached on the basis of a known number of established plants rather than a known amount of seed planted, since the latter would introduce questions of seed viability, depth of planting, emergence, seedling disease, and seed treatment.The 1941 tests were carried to completion at the following 19 locations: Mesa, Ariz.; Bard, Calif.; Quincy, Fla.; Carbondale, Equality, and Mascoutah, Ill.; Maple Hill and Parsons, Kans.; Beltsville, Md. ;· Poplarville, Miss.; Arapaho, Chickasha, and Stillwater, Okla.; and Chillicothe, Deport, Lubbock (2 tests), Robstown, and Scottsville, Texas. It is not feasible to present here the detailed data from these tests since, because of the late date at which the program was started, the tests could not be set up uniformly in regard to design, size, and varieties included.
