220 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



Experiments in plant breeding at Highmoor Farm, Mon- 

 mouth, were interestingly described, and in spite of the more 

 or less scientific terms which alone express adequately the work 

 and results in many instances it was made very interesting and 

 comprehensive to the people present who are not familiar witH 

 the scientific work. He spoke of the great increase in the yield 

 per annum of plants with which experiments had been made, 

 and this, the speaker stated, proved what a great advantage a 

 .■^eed-producing and distributing farm would be to the farmers 

 of the State. Under the present plan it is possible to serve but 

 a small proportion of the farms of the State. It could be placed 

 within the reach of all with the improved facilities. 



Dr. Pearl devoted considerable time to the description of the 

 method of breeding oats. He stated that a necessary prelimi- 

 nary to plant breeding "is to discover which varieties are best 

 adapted to a locality. Of the varieties planted three were se- 

 lected, the first yielding 149 bushels to the acre, the second 

 141 bushels, and the third 139 bushels. He pointed out that the 

 average yield in Maine is 38 1-2 bushels per acre. This he 

 stated shows that the quality of the oats had been improved in 

 breeding. 



Like experiments with corn had been made, the most suc- 

 cessful being one in hybrid breeding, a variety of yellow corn 

 and one of sweet corn being crossed. The first yield the corn 

 was entirely yellow, while in the second there were four vari- 

 eties — starchy white corn, starchy yellow corn, sweet white 

 corn and sweet yellow corn. The sweet white corn was selected 

 for propagation and when bred was found to be double in size 

 that of the original plant, to have a larger ear and a much 

 finer kernel. These were pointed out as three marked evidences 

 of the success of the experiment. 



During the evening three new varieties of oats, all bred by 

 Dr. Pearl in the series of experiments conducted by him, were 

 christened, each of these being capable of producing even under 

 adverse conditions double the present yield in this State. They 

 have been named by Dr. Pearl, Maine 281, Maine 247 and 

 Maine 250, he having named them after the State in which they 

 were bred. 



