CEEEAL EXPERIMEl^TS AT JUDITH BASIN SUBSTATION. 13 



TREATMENT OP CROPS. 



The seeding has been done with an 8-foot double-disk and a 6-foot 

 single-disk drill. On each drill the spouts were 6 inches apart. After 

 seeding no cultivation has been given the plats. In some years it 

 was necessary to cultivate the alleys and roads in order to kill the 

 weeds. In the 18-inch alleys between the fiftieth-acre plats the 

 weeds are pulled by hand, and no cultivation is necessary. 



Harvesting is done with a binder. The graiu is shocked on the 

 plats and remains there until it is thrashed. The thrashing is done 

 with a small thrasher with a 26-inch cylinder. Since the varieties 

 have been grown in the rephcated plats, one plat of each variety has 

 been carefully rogiied and the crop from this plat thrashed in the small 

 nursery thrasher. By this method it is possible to avoid the mixture 

 that takes place in the larger thrasher and thus obtain pure seed of 

 each variety. 



CROP RECORDS. 



The first notes taken after sowing are on the date of emergence. 

 After this, notes are taken on the stand of the different varieties. 

 Since all the varieties of any one cereal are seeded at the same rate 

 and on the same date all stands are usually uniform, but any differ- 

 ences are noted. Any disease that may appear is noted, as is also 

 the percentage of lodging. Records are kept of the dates of heading, 

 ripening, and cutting of each variety. 



Nursery Experiments. 



The new varieties tested in the nursery are usually grown in 3-rod 

 or 8-rod rows, depending on the quantity of seed available. In some 

 cases it is possible to discard some of the varieties the first year, but 

 usually they are grown two years. By that time it is possible to dis- 

 card the poor varieties, while the most promising ones are mcreased. 



In the improvement experiments the starting point is usually the 

 head row. From the head row the good selections are grown in 3-rod 

 or 8-rod rows, depending on the quantity of seed available. After 

 being tested in 8-rod rows for two years it is usually possible to dis- 

 card the poor selections. The more promising ones either are 

 increased or contmued in 8-rod rows. When they are increased they 

 are usually grown in a hundredth-acre or fiftieth-acre plat for one 

 or two years before being grown in the regular varietal test. 



The selections in head rows are sown by hand. In aU the other 

 nursery work the seeding is done with a gram drill. In seeding the 

 3-rod and 8-rod rows alternate holes in the drill are closed and the 

 rows sown 1 foot apart. The rows are harvested by hand and 

 thrashed in the nursery thrasher. Complete notes are taken on aU 

 selections and varieties. 



