BROOM-CORN EXPERIMENTS AT WOODWARD, OKLAHOMA. 11 
or upper leaf sheath and firmly attached to the upper node, which 
makes necessary the use of a knife in harvesting the brush. The 
fiber is coarse, but usually round and pliable. 
Dwarf broom corns range in height from 3.5 to 6 feet, with short 
internodes. The leaves are narrow, dark green, and from 10 to 18 
in number. The heads range in length from 15 to 22 or more inches 
under quite favorable growing conditions, but remain from one- 
half to one-third inclosed in the upper sheath. They are not as 
firmly attached to the upper node, which makes harvesting possible 
without the aid of a knife by pulling or jerking the heads from the 
standing stalks. 
EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS. 
In order to gain a better understanding of the experimental re- 
sults obtained from the varieties included in the different experi- 
ments, it is necessary to know the methods of obtaining the data re- 
corded and the conditions prevailing each season. 
Methods Employed. 
The methods employed in regard to the size and arrangement of 
the plats, the crop rotation practiced on the experimental area, the 
date on which the varietal experiment was sown each year, and the 
method of collecting certain agronomic data are explained in the 
following paragraphs. 
SIZE AND ARRANGEMENT OF PLATS. 
The land used in these experiments is divided into series which 
are 8 rods wide, extending the whole length of the field from north 
to south. These series are separated by roads 20 feet wide. The 
rows of broom corn extend across the series from east to west and are 
spaced 3.5 feet apart. Thus, each row occupies a space 8 rods long 
and 3.5 feet wide and represents approximately one-hundredth of 
an acre. Seeding is begun at either end of the series and con- 
tinued until the entire series is finished. No alleys are left between 
the varieties, so there is no border effect except at the ends of the 
rows, where they border on the roads. Each variety usually occu- 
pied 10 rows, or a tenth of an acre. In sowing the varieties the rows 
were made longer than 132 feet, extending several feet into the road- 
way at both ends. When the plants had attained a height of 12 to 15 
inches the ends of the rows were trimmed to the proper limits. 
CROP ROTATION PRACTICED. 
Tt has not been practicable to follow a definite system of crop rota- 
tion in these experiments, because the land available for this work 
was all in sod the first year (1914), and only enough could be pre- 
