PLANTS FOR EXPERIMENT 181 



I chose this plant on account of its extreme 

 hardiness. It resists drought remarkably, and is 

 very productive. My original seed was received 

 from Montana. I have also grown extensively 

 other species of the same genus, to the number 

 of four or five. My main object was to produce 

 a variety that would yield more forage. 



Seeds were sown thinly in boxes in the green- 

 house, or in plots out-of-doors. Selection was 

 made when the plants were about half an inch 

 high, and before they had put forth their second 

 leaves. At this stage a fairly correct judgment 

 can be formed as to which plants will be rapid 

 growers. 



In general, the plant that will ultimately tower 

 above its fellows is found to show superiority in 

 its earliest stages. 



By selecting the plants that seem to give most 

 promise, and planting these in rows where the 

 soil is practically the same throughout, it is not 

 difficult to discover the most rapid growers and 

 to weed out the others. 



The brome grasses are much more variable 

 than is commonly supposed even by those who 

 are familiar with them. In fact, even within the 

 same species, it is difficult to find two plants that 

 are precisely alike. Some have broad leaves, and 

 some narrow, and the leaves may be variously 



