RED-CLOVER SEED PRODUCTION. 



21 



This machine was so constructed as to give vertical strokes with a 

 brush 4 feet wide and 6 feet long. The brushes could be removed 

 with little trouble and replaced with others of a different type. Two 

 types of brushes were used in these experiments. Brush No. 1 was 

 composed of palmetto fiber, the bristles of which were rather stiff 

 and of a dark reddish-brown color. Brush No. 2 was composed of 

 rice-root fiber of light color, somewhat more flexible than the pal- 

 metto fiber. The plats treated were 12 feet wide and 100 feet long. 



The number of heads collected from each plat represents the num- 

 ber contained within two hooped areas. These hooped areas were 

 obtained by sailing a hoop into the air so that it would light on a 

 particular plat. Since each plat contained a uniform stand it was 

 thought that by this method heads would be selected which would 

 be representative of the entire plat. Table V shows the results 

 obtained in these experiments. 



Table V. — Average seed yield of red clover on plats which viere given various treatments 

 with a cross-pollinizing machine. 





Treatments. 



Heads 

 collected. 





No. 



Brush 

 used. 



Times 

 gone over. 



Time 

 between. 



Time 

 of day. 



Number 

 of days 

 given. 



Seeds 

 per head. 



Plat 1 



No. 1.... 



No. 1.... 

 No. 1.... 



1 

 2 



i 



Days. 

 1 

 1 

 3 



A. M... 



A.M.... 

 A.M.... 



7 

 7 

 4 



460 

 424 

 499 

 490 

 414 

 458 

 582 

 527 

 487 

 655 

 492 



63.3 



Plat 2 



59 4 



Plat 3 



64 2 





65 1 



Plat 5 



No. 1.... 

 No. 1.... 



2 

 3 



3 

 3 



A.M.... 

 A.M.... 



4 

 4 



59.2 



Plat 6 



70 3 





66 7 



Plat 8 



No. 2.... 

 No. 1.... 



3 

 3 



3 

 3 



A.M.... 

 P.M.... 



4 



4 



70.9 



Plat 9 



64.7 



Plat 10, check 



64.0 



Plat 11 



No. 2.... 



3 



3 



P. M.... 



4 



67.4 







It will be seen from the above experiments that the treatments 

 with brush No. 1 decreased the yield 1.9 seeds per head, while the 

 plats treated with brush No. 2 gave an increased yield of 3.9 seeds 

 per head over the average of the check plats. 



EFFICIENCY OF DIFFERENT HAND-OPERATED BRUSHES AS MECHANICAL CROSS - 

 POLLINATORS OF RED CLOVER. 



In order to test the efficiency of hand-operated brushes as a means 

 of mechanical pollination of red clover, eight pairs having different 

 types of bristles were used. The different pairs were labeled A, B, 

 C, etc., for convenience in reference. Following is a brief descrip- 

 tion of the different pairs of brushes used: 



(A) Rice-root fiber, somewhat stiff; bristles about 2 inches long and nearly erect. 



(B) Rice-root fiber, similar to A, but with bristles 3 inches long, somewhat coarser 

 and more spreading. 



(C) Tampico fiber, finer but stiff er than the rice-root fiber in brushes A and B, 



(D) Wire-bristle hairbrushes. 



