The Application of Experimental Research to Farm Production

Field experiments are the scientist's chief means of assessing animal and plant productivity potential. Evidence is assembled in this article which indicates that farm yields are less than experimental yields for important classes of experiments and farms. This variation is the result of differences between the circumstances in which experiments are conducted and those in which farms are operated. Farm yields can be expected to be less than experimental yields for valid economic reasons, and these reasons should be borne in mind by those who plan experiments and interpret experimental results.