EXPERIMENT STATION REPORTS. 239 



not help being struck with the uniformity of the plants in the row as 

 contrasted with the lack of uniformity among the plants of a commercial 

 variety. All these rows were represented by reman ts which were saved 

 for future planting. 



The isolated corn plats of this year are mostly the inter-rowing of 

 desirable remnants in order to oibtain a complete cross to be used in 

 future work. For instance, a cross would be made between remants 

 whose rows were similar in point of earliness in the ear-row test, showed 

 'exceptionally good characters, and were high in general production. 



There is no ear-row test in 192'3, but the breeding plat is planted 

 almost entirely to corn coming from inter-crossed remnants from previ- 

 ous years which are expected to segregate this year. As many self-fer- 

 tilized ears will be obtained from this block as our time and ability 

 will permit, and from this a much larger ear-row test will be planted in 

 1924 from ears that stand the test in boxes during the winter. 



CRIMSON CLOVER BREEDING. 



In the last report two lines of Crimson clover work were mentioned, 

 the one being planted in the spring, and the other in the fall. The fall 

 planted lot appears to be a failure as most of the stock was completely 

 frozen out in the winter of 1921-1922. The spring planted strain was 

 obtained from Antrim County and drilled in rows about May 1st, 1921. 

 These rows proved to have such a mass of mosaic that it seemed no 

 seed could be produced. However, some seed was saved, enough to plant 

 a bed in the spring of 1922. These plants were sorted to eliminate those 

 that had already developed mosaic when they were about six weeks 

 old. The healthy plants were planted on the same land that had pro- 

 duced such a mass of mosaic clover the year before. The land had 

 been plowed and fitted, but would be expected to contain a large amount 

 of disease. This was done in the hopes that some disease-resistant in- 

 dividual might be found, and a few were found that did not develop 

 mosaic up to the time of maturity. 



Seed was saved from these healthy plants, and their progenies have 

 been set out in a new nursery of 1923. They are again planted on the 

 land that has grown diseased plants two years. Seedlings of this year 

 did not seem to have any mosaic on them at the time they were planted. 

 The indications are that progress is being made in the breeding of a dis- 

 ease-resistant Crimson clover that may be produced as a summer an- 

 nual under Michigan conditions. It would appear that such seed may 

 be planted in the fall as an orchard cover crop which may make a 

 vigorous growth in the fall, and he winter-killed. I am told that this 

 is the kind of cover crop that is desired by orchardists. 



HEMP BREEDING. 



The hemp work has proceeded to a point where the station now pos- 

 esses a strain that is worthy of increase as soon as a hemp industry 

 needs such an increase. It is vigorous and ripens seed under Michigau 

 ponditions. 



