BULLETIN 246. 



FIELD EXPERIMENTS. 

 Reported by Chas. D. Woods. 



The work of investigation at the two experiment station 

 farms (Aroostook Farm, Presque Isle, and Highmoor Farm, 

 Monmouth ) is planned by the Director, the Biologists, the Plant 

 Pathologist and the Entomologist. The results of the more 

 scientific phases of the studies are reported from time to time 

 in the bulletins, but it always happens that there are results 

 obtained that lie somewhat outside of the lines of work of any 

 of the Station specialists. Some of the more popular and prac- 

 tical results are here reported. The carrying out of these 

 experiments and the taking of the requisite notes devolved upon 

 different members of the Staff. In general the field work was 

 carried out under the direction of the farm superintendents. 



It is planned to report the more scientific aspects of the oat 

 breeding investigations in a bulletin to be published 'later in 

 the present year. 



Drawing Conclusions from Field Experiments. 



Field experiments at the best are somewhat uncertain because 

 there are so many factors of soil, temperature, rainfall, and 

 the like, that affect the results which are beyond the control of 

 the experimenter. For this reason it is always planned at this 

 Station to carry the same experiment under as nearly as possi- 

 ble the same conditions through a series of years before 

 attempting to draw any very definite conclusions. The results 

 here reported should be considered more in the light of reports 

 of progress than of completed studies. It may happen that 

 the teaching that a single year's results seem to warrant may 

 be reversed by the repetition of the experiment in other years 

 under different climatic or other conditions. 



