CEREAL INVESTIGATIONS AT THE NEPHI SUBSTATION. 11 



EXPERIMENTAL WORK. 



In all the varietal tests of cereals at Nephi the primary object has 

 been to determine the relative yielding power of the varieties. In 

 addition, efforts have been made to find reasons for the existing wide 

 variations in yield. In order to make these studies complete, it was 

 necessary to divide the work into plat and nursery experiments. The 

 plat experiments were designed to conform as nearly as possible to 

 the farm practices in the Great Basin area. On these plats the crops 

 were studied on an extensive scale. In the nursery tests, which were 

 confined to short rows, the crops were studied intensively. The rows 

 were uniformly spaced and a known number of seeds were planted at 

 definite distances in the row. This method afforded a means of 

 making a thorough study of several individual plants of each variety. 



In this bulletin the results of the plat experiments are presented in 

 detail. The report of the nursery work is general, and only those 

 results which can be correlated with the results obtained in the plats 

 are given special attention. 



PLAT EXPERIMENTS. 

 Dimensions of Plats. 



Most of the field tests were conducted on tenth-acre plats 36 feet 

 wide by 121 feet long. A few plats were one-fifth acre in area, or 

 72 by 121 feet, while others were one-twentieth of an acre each, 

 either 18 by 121 feet or 36 by 60.5 feet. The plats lay side 

 by side in series, which extended north and south, and they 

 were separated by 5-foot alleys. The series of plats were in pairs, 

 separated by a 5-foot alley, while the pairs of series were separated 

 by a 13-foot road. Each plat was thus bounded on both sides and 

 on one end by 5-foot alleys and on the other end by a 13-foot road. 

 All plats used for the varietal tests were alternately fallowed and 

 cropped. 



Treatment of Plats. 



In October of the year when the plats were cropped all the series 

 of cropped plats were plowed to a depth of about 8 inches, the stub- 

 ble being turned under. They were then allowed to lie untouched 

 until the following spring. In most years a heavy growth of volun- 

 teercereals and weeds necessitated a replowing in the spring. Some- 

 times a double disking would take the place of the second plowing. 

 In all cases sufficient spring cultivation was given the fallow plats 

 to destroy all plant growth. After the plowing or disking had been 

 completed a "float," or leveler, was dragged over the plats at right 

 angles to the plowing to level the surface of the ground. 



During the remainder of the fallow season a spike-tooth harrow 

 was used to break any crust which formed after a rain. Occasionally 



