FURTHER EXPERIMENTS IN FIELD TECHNIC IN PLOT 
TESTS 1 
By A. C. Arny 2 
Head of Section of Farm Crops , Division of Agronomy and Farm Management, 
Department of Agriculture , University of Minnesota 
INTRODUCTION 
In a fotmcr paper (p) 3 results of deterriiinations of the effect of i8-incli 
alleys on the outside and inside border' rows of oats, wheat, and barley 
varieties were made available. At that time no data appeared to be 
available regarding tlie possible border effect on rows farther within plots 
than the second 6-inch drill row 1 . To secure data on this point, determi¬ 
nations of yield for the first, second, and third 6-inch drill rows from 
either side of each plot were made in 1918. 
In the determinations of border effect with varieties, the rate of seeding 
as well as other factors were necessarily as nearly identical as it was 
possible to make them. 
Cultural and rate of seeding tests on plots surrounded by alleys and 
roadways are being carried out yearly. To what extent does border 
effect influence results in such trials where all plots are sown with the 
same variety and where other conditions such as methods of prepa¬ 
ration of the seed bed, rates of seeding, etc., are varied? In order to 
secure data on border effect in rate of seeding tests, determinations were 
made 1 in 1918. 
The data secured for the purpose of aiding in the interpretation of 
results in Minnesota may be of interest to scientific workers elsewhere and, 
therefore, are made available. 
REVIEW OF LITERATURE , 
The need of using methods in conducting plot tests and in the inter¬ 
pretation of results from them which may be relied 011 to give close 
approximation to the actual results has been given considerable atten¬ 
tion. The subject has been considered mainly from four standpoints, 
(1) selection of the location for the plots, (2) laying them out, which 
necessitates the consideration of how many repetitions, size and shape, 
1 Published with the approval of the Director as Paper 2260! the Journal Series of the Minnesota Agri¬ 
cultural Experiment Station. 
* The writer acknowledged the cooperation of Prof. T. E. OdlaUd, formerly agronomist at the Morris 
Substation, and Superintendent P. E. Miller, of the same institution, for growing and caring for the crop 
at that location, and Prof. E. W. McGinnis, assistant professor of farm crops at University Karin, for aid 
in computing the results. 
•.Rcfcrcn.cq is made by number (italic) to “ literature cited,” p. 497-499. 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Washington, D. C. 
yi ' 
Vol. XXI, No. 7 
July 1, 1921 
Key No. MU111.-42 
(483) 
