350 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXIX, No. 7 
ment Farm, Rosslyn, Va. As a result 
of this method, the soil within the pots 
when taken up has resembled, in mois¬ 
ture and compactness, the soil outside 
the pots. 
In all, 32 sets of pots were buried. 
The trench in which the pots were 
buried was approximately 9 feet wide 
at the top and 50 feet long. On 
one of its sides the soil was removed 
to a depth of 8 inches; through the 
middle the soil was removed to a depth 
of 22 inches; on the other side it was 
removed to a depth of 42 inches. 
Thus the trench had three distinct 
levels or shelves, each about 3 feet 
wide, of undisturbed soil. The sets 
of pots were arranged on each of these 
shelves, 8 sets on the shallow or A 
level, 12 sets on the middle or B level 
and 12 sets on the deep or C level. 
This arrangement made it possible to 
take up a set from each of the different 
depths by digging across the trench. 
After the pots were removed the earth 
was immediately replaced to prevent 
any unnecessary disturbance of the 
remaining sets. Inasmuch as not more 
than a foot of soil separated the different 
sets it was impossible to dig up one set 
of pots without changing somewhat the 
temperature, aeration and moisture 
conditions of the soil surrounding the 
adjoining set. 
The seeds upon being dug up have 
been tested immediately for germina¬ 
tion in the greenhouse. The method 
employed for making the viability 
tests has been to sift the contents of 
each pot on a section of a greenhouse 
flat nearly filled with sterilized soil. 
Each flat was divided by partitions 
into four sections. This arrangement 
permitted the planting of the same 
kind of seed from each of the three 
depths, and a check in the same flat. 
A description of the experiment and 
the results obtained at the end of the 
first year were published by Duvel (3) y 
who continued to supervise the ex¬ 
periment through the test of 1912. The 
viability tests of 1905, 1908, and 1912 
were made by the writer, who since 
then has continued the experiment. 
The results of all germination tests are 
given in Table I. 
Table I .—Complete list of seeds buried , with germination obtained each time the 
seeds were taken up 
Labo¬ 
ra¬ 
tory 
No. 
Buri¬ 
al 
No. 
Name of plant 
Num¬ 
ber of 
seeds 
Depth 
Percentage of germination In— 
1903 
1905 
1908 
1912 
1918 
1923 
POACEAE (GRASS FAMILY) 
16173 
31 
Agropyron repens (L.) Bcauv. 
200 
A 
20.5 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
(couch grass). 
200 
B 
73 
1 
0 
0 
0 
0 
200 
C 
66.5 
19 
0.5 
2 
0 
0 
16174 
9 
Avena faiua L. (wild oats). 
100 
A 
9 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
100 
B 
8 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
100 
C 
18 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
16175 
8 
Avena saliva L. (oats).. 
100 
A 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
100 
B 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
100 
C 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
16176 
36 
Bromus secalinus L. (cheat, 
100 
A 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
chess). 
100 
B 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
100 
C 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
16177 
37 
Bromus racemosus L. (upright 
200 
A 
0 
0 
11.5 
0 
0 
0 
chess, smooth brome-grass). 
200 
B 
0 
0 
42 
0 
0 
0 
200 
C 
0 
0 
18.5 
0 
0 
0 
16178 
66 
Chaetoehloa verticillata (L.) 
200 
A 
29 
48.5 
39.5 
30 
8 
7.0 
Scribn. (foxtail). 
200 
B 
35.5 
47.5 
37.5 
35 
3 
2.5 
200 
C 
45 
61.5 
43 
47.5 
1 
2 
16179 
33 
Chaetoehloa glauca (L.) Scribn. 
200 
A 
1 
2.5 
5.5 
3.5 
0 
0 
(yellow foxtail). 
200 
B 
1 
1.5 
1.5 
4.5 
1.5 
0 
200 
C 
1 
2 
1.5 
1 
0 
0.5 
16180 
67 
Chaetoehloa viridis (L.) Scribn. 
200 
A 
0 
55.5 
16 
38.5 
28.5 
1.5 
(green foxtail). 
200 
B 
0 
58.5 
13 
26 
5 
5.5 
200 
C 
0 
67.5 
26.5 
79.5 
1.5 
26 
16181 
72 
Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. 
200 
A 
0 
3 
0.5 
0 
0 
0 
(wire-grass, crab-grass). 
200 
B 
0 
3 
1 
0 
0 
0 
200 
C 
0 
2.5 
1 
0 
0 
0 
16182 
15 
Elymus virginicus L. (Virginia 
200 
A 
2 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
wild rye). 
200 
B 
13.5 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
200 
C 
25.5 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
16183 
13 
Elymus canadensis L. (nodding 
100 
A 
0 
1 
0 
0 
0 
0 
wild rye). 
100 
B 
7 
1 
0 
0 
0 
0 
100 
C 
22 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
16184 
14 
Elymus triticoides Buckl. (wild 
200 
A 
1.5 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
wheat). 
200 
B 
3.5 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
* 
200 
C 
15.5 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
