56 BULLETIN 1403, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
These products have been computed to a percentage basis with the 
average of all the Marquis parent check rows as 100 per cent. At 
Bozeman, Marquis gave the best results; at Havre, Hard Federation. 
Frequency data for the nursery-row results at the Bozeman and 
Havre stations are given in Table 50. 
The data in Table 50 show that for combined yield and crude- 
protein content the hybrids average between the parents, but are nearer 
Marquis, the better parent at Bozeman, and nearer Hard Federation, 
the better parent at Havre. 
At both stations the best check rows of the parents are exceeded 
by a few hybrid strains. At Bozeman approximately 35 per cent of 
the hybrids average better than 100 per cent, the average of Marquis, 
and 3 strains, or 1 per cent of the hybrids, exceed the best Marquis 
check row. At Havre nearly 35 per cent of the hybrids exceed 100, 
the average of Marquis, 23 strains exceed the best check row of that 
parent, and 2 strains exceed the best check row of Hard Federation. 
The leading half-dozen hybrid strains at Bozeman, Moccasin, and 
Havre, ranked in order of the product of yield and crude-protein 
content, in comparison with the average of Marquis checks as 100 
per cent, are shown in Table 51, together with their date of first 
heading, date of last ripening, fruiting period, height, yield, and 
crude-protein content. 
The F 3 strains shown in Table 51 as the best for combined yield 
and crude-protein content are not any of those strains previously 
studied on a plant basis. This illustrates the necessity of giving careful 
consideration to more than a single character and shows that several 
years' results are necessary to determine the best strains for all factors 
concerned. 
Only one strain, Bl-57, ranked among the best six strains at both 
Bozeman and Havre. It ranked second at Bozemen and fifth at 
Havre and exceeded the best check row of Marquis by 10.6 per cent 
at Bozeman and 43 per cent at Havre. The greatest improvement 
appears to have resulted at Havre, where the six leading strains 
exceeded the average of Marquis check rows from 91.6 to 130.8 per 
cent and the best Marquis check from 42.6 to 81.8 per cent. At 
Bozeman, where the improvement was next in importance, the six 
leading strains exceeded the average of Marquis check rows from 
48.6 to 75.4 per cent and the best Marquis check from 1.5 to 28.3 per 
cent. At Moccasin, where improvement was least pronounced, the 
yields were the largest and were computed only on an acre basis. This 
resulted in a disadvantage for the hybrids in comparison with the 
parents, beca*use the dwarf plants reduced the yields. However, 
the six best strains were from 7.7 to 25.2 per cent better than the 
average of the Marquis checks. 
At the three stations most of these best strains are earlier in heading 
than Marquis and later in ripening than Hard Federation. None are 
earlier heading than Hard Federation, but several are later ripening 
than Marquis. All but two of the strains have as long or longer 
fruiting periods than the average of Hard Federation, and all but four 
are as tall or taller than the average of Marquis. This indicates that 
improvement in yield and crude-protein content has been obtained in 
hybrids by combining the advantages of the long fruiting period of 
Hard Federation and the height of Marquis. 
