JOURNAL OF AfflCOLTim RESEARCH 
Von. XI Washington, D. C., November 26, 1917 No. 9 
EXPERIMENTS IN FIELD TECHNIC IN ROD ROW TESTS 1 
By H. K. Hayes, Head of Section of Plant Breeding , and A. C. Arny, Head of Section 
of Farm Crops , Division of Agronomy and Farm Management f Department of Agri- 
culturer University of Minnesota 
INTRODUCTION 
Present field practices in Farm Crops breeding and variety testing show 
a lack of uniformity in methods of work. This is partly because some 
investigators have larger plots of land at their disposal than others. The 
principal reason for the lack of a standard practice, however, is the lack 
of sufficient experimental evidence as to the reliability of different 
methods. 
The close relation between laboratory methods and reliability of experi¬ 
mental results is accepted without question by workers in such exact 
sciences as chemistry and physics. While it is not possible to develop 
as exact practices in field work, owing to the many uncontrolled environ¬ 
mental factors, there is a possibility of standardization. 
In order to accomplish such an end, it is essential that workers situated 
in various sections of the country make a study of the reliability of their 
present field technic. 
In a consideration of this question there are several methods of attack. 
Some of these are the use of check plots, the value of replications, the 
size and shape of plots, methods of correcting the error of any plot due 
to soil heterogeneity, and the effects of competition between adjacent 
rows or plots. 
In recent years there has been a tendency to use the row method in 
small-grain breeding and variety testing. The present paper is the first 
of a series of studies in field practices in Minnesota. The experimental 
data are of two sorts: (1) A study of the effects of competition between 
small grains planted in rod rows when spaced at a distance of 1 foot 
apart. (2) The value of replications for rod row tests. 
1 Published, with the approval of the Director, as Paper No. 80, of the Journal Series of the Minnesota 
Agricultural Experiment Station. 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Washington, D. C. 
kr 
(399) 
Vol. XI, No. 9 
Nov. 26, 1917 
Key No. Minn. — 23 
