EXPERIMENT STATION REPORTS. 197 



the headings of these registers indicate the work to be done as the 

 season advances. 



In the case of alfalfa and clover, we are taking individual plant yields 

 of hay and seed, and intend to follow the most promising of these plants 

 to the field variety series. (In the case of alfalfa we hope to have a 

 1/1(10 acre series in 1911 where each, plot has descended from a plant 

 at the station.) In the case of the hay crop, each plant is tagged, cut 

 and hung up on lines in the shade to dry. Later we get the dry weights 

 on these plants. As no attempt was made to hang the plants in the 

 order that they grew in the field, they are now considerably mixed. 

 For this reason, a temporai*\' record is made on a sheet of paper pinned 

 to a small drawing board. The sheet is cross ruled so as to have as 

 many lines as there are rows in the plot, and as many columns as there 

 are plants in a row. A T-square enables one to find the proper places 

 on the paper as fast as another can make the weights. From this sheet, 

 the results are transferred to the register. 



Uefore the seed crop is ripe, a list of suj^erior plants has been made 

 out from the records. Those that also prove to be good seed producers 

 and tagged and hung on lines near our special individual thresher. 

 When dry and time })resents itself, these are weighed and threshed. The 

 seed is stored in envelopes, 3 by oi/o inches open at the end. We use 

 this size in all of our work. The envelopes are stored in tin boxes 

 away from the mice. 



Because of the fact that we annually make thousands of small weigh- 

 ings, we use a specially ordered spring dial scale. It weighs in grams 

 from 2 to 800 with the pan on, or running up to 1,200 grams by taking 

 off the pan. In the field this is hung on a tripod covered witJi a sheet 

 to keep the wind from bothering. Indoor-s, the scale is often supported 

 by a hook on the wires where plants are being weighed. 



(Fig. 12 illustrates the scale in operation in alfalfa nureery.) 



PLOTTING SYSTEM. 



The plan of the perennial nurseries has been given. In the small 

 grains, the first year selection plots are also planted in rows intersect- 

 ing at right angles with not more than one plant in a hill, five inches 

 each way. In variety testing, the plots are always long and narrow. 

 A check is placed in the series frequently, and if seed and space will 

 permit, the series is duplicated. The soil may seem uniform and yet 

 the checks will show considerable variation. (Fig. 13 shows a portion 

 of two grain series.) The yields are corrected to a uniform basis on 

 a piece of coordinate paper. (Fig. 14.) The vertical linas represent 

 the various plots of a series. The horizontal lines stand for different 

 yields. Only each fifth line is shown. Four lighter lines ran between 

 each pair. The yields of the plots are now: representexl hy small crosses 

 proi)erly placed. Circles are placed around those that represent the 

 yields of the check plots. Lines are drawn to connect those in cir- 

 cles. This broken line gives the curve of soil fertility, as the check 

 plots were planted with the same lot of seed. The adjacent vertical 

 lines, (four between each of the heavier lines) represent the plots. 



