With the approach of the first races of the year against Pennsylvania next Saturday, the University crews are settling down to the last stages of preparation. Work for the Pennsylvania races has been the keynote for the past weeks and the next few days will see the coaches endeavoring to whip their men into final shape for the first real test of the season.

The Red and Blue oarsmen are scheduled to leave Philadelphia tonight and to arrive in Cambridge tomorrow morning; they plan to practice on the Charles tomorrow and Friday. Both the first and second eights are bringing their own shells, one of which, according to Mr. Herbert Reed of the New York Evening Post, "is one of the triumphs of the shell builder's art", carrying all the weight of the heavy first eight and not "sousing down" at the finish of the pull-through.

The result of the races against Yale ten days ago and the testimony of competent critics of rowing all tend to show that the Pennsylvanians have developed two very powerful crews which are well suited to short distance rowing of the kind necessary in the mile and five-sixteenths race. In the University race against Yale the Red and Blue eight stroked by Mattison set a pace of 43 for the first half a minute and kept a high stroke throughout.

Schedule of Races Settled

The times of the races on Saturday have been set as follows: 4.30 o'clock, University 1925 vs. M. I. T. 1925; 5 o'clock, University junior crew vs. Pennsylvania junior crew; 5.30 o'clock, University vs. Pennsylvania.

Yesterday Dr. Howe took several members of the Graduate Committee on Rowing, among them, Mr. R. F. Herrick '90, Mr. E. C. Storrow '89, and Mr. F. L. Higginson Jr. '00, out with him to watch the work of the first two University and the first yearling eights. A race over the full course in the Basin which was planned for the afternoon was marred by the rough water caused by a sharp cross wind. No times were anonunced, and the race was, in fact, called off before the end on account of the choopy water near the Union Boat Club.

Work today will be marked by various class and 150-pound crew races. Since the April recess there has been a rear-rangement in the seating of some of the class eights and this afternoon Coach Brown will test out the new A and B combinations in a race in the Basin.

At 5.15 o'clock the three University 150-pound class crews will race Coach Bert Haines' 150-pound eights over the mile course, while somewhat earlier in the afternoon the four-oared yearling combinations will also be tried out over the mile distance.