264 Artificial Fecundation of Cereal and other Crops. 
same procedure may be adopted, except that for maize the leaden 
weights should be heavier. 
The apparatus should be washed after being used for each 
variety of plant. 
That the influence of each of M. Hooibrenk's suggestions 
may be distinguishable, and clearness and precision given to the 
results sought, the Commission suggests that the experiments 
should be made in the following manner : — 
The fields selected for experiment should, as far as possible, 
be similarly circumstanced as to soil, manure, tillage, and aspect, 
and apart from woods, roads, and avenues of trees. 
Each field should be divided into four plots. 
To the first, the ordinary management of the district should be 
applied. 
On the second, rolling, but not fecundation, should be tried. 
On the third, both the roll and the fringe should be used. 
On the fourth, artificial fecundation should be tested without 
rolling. 
The experimental plots may be restricted to a square measured 
off in the centre of an irregular field, or to four " lands " of like 
quality. 
The crop should be harvested at the same time and in the 
same manner on all four plots ; the head and tail corn, the straw 
and the short stuff, should each be separately ascertained. 
At harvest time the number of stalks should be counted which 
are growing on one square metre of ground of average character 
in each of the four plots. 
All these stems should then be carefully pulled up, so as to 
preserve their roots, and they should be made into a bundle, 
labelled .... and forwarded to the Commissioners. 
The experimenter is to fill up a schedule, of Avhich a copy is 
furnished, and send a description of the field and its position, 
with an account of the fluctuations in the yield of the cereal 
under trial for a series of years on that spot ; of the yield of 
other portions of the field or fields not under experiment ; of the 
cost of the men and horses employed in rolling and fecundating 
the field ; and he is invited to give his opinion of the value of 
the measures which M. Hooibrenk advocates. 
One word of comment respecting the rolling referred to may 
be of use. In the vineyard and orchard much of M. Hooibrenk's 
art consists in giving to the side branches an inclination of 112 
degrees. This idea has been imported into his cereal experi- 
ments, where it is, perhaps, less at home, seeing that rolling 
must cease before the stem is developed. This portion of the 
