As soon as Jarvis Field is laid out in tennis courts, there will be no place for the class nines either to practice or to play their regular games except on Norton's Field. In future years, there will be good diamonds on Soldiers Field, but to have a turf diamond there this year is a physical impossibility. It seems to us that this lack of proper practiceground is a misfortune. It is true that the class baseball games have of late years had a prominent element of farce in them, and yet, if it had not been for class baseball, what would have become of the 'varsity this year? Of the men who are at the 'varsity training table this year, nine played on class teams last year. Barring those players who were connected with the 'varsity of last year, and those whose first year it is in the University, not a single man remains who has not played on a class nine here. Such dependence of the 'varsity on the class nines is inevitable under the new rules. Since students who have played in other colleges are now debarred from representing Harvard, the whole of the baseball material must be developed here; and the class nines are the most effective means for this purpose.

With these circumstances it would be a mistake, especially at the present crisis in baseball matters, to make the class nines play on diamonds that pervert ordinary baseball conditions, and make it doubly hard to acquire confidence and skill. The lease which the University has on Norton's expires this year, and will not be renewed; it may, in consequence, be objected that any money spent on the field would do no good next year. But next year or no next year, there is this year, and a large sum of money could be spent this year on baseball without a cent's being thrown away. Good diamonds, and not simply apologies for diamonds, are needed.