346 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



64 VICTORIA, A. 1901 

 EXPERIMENTS WITH OATS. 



While this grain suffered less than wheat from poor germination in spring, the 

 loss from hail was much greater. On the morning of August 18, the ground on the 

 riper fields was practically covered with shelled grain. As an evidence of this. Flying 

 Scotchman, generally not a veiy productive variety, was cut before the hail storm and 

 gave a return of over 65 bushels per acre, while Improved Ligowo, usually a much more 

 productive kind, but cut after the hail storm, only yielded 20 bushels and 30 pounds 

 per acre. Eor this reason the returns given from the uniform trial plots of oats cannot 

 be considered a fair test of the comparative productiveness of the varieties. 



Owing to the prevalence of rust, and to the fact that the plumpest kernels were 

 shelled out by hail, nearly all the varieties are light in weight. 



Oat sheaves, only wet on the surface, were stacked with safety, but when wet to 

 the heart, it was found necessary to thoroughly dry them before stacking. The 

 patience of many farmers was severely tried this year, owing to the continued wet 

 weather, and many stacked oats too soon ; with the result that at threshing time they 

 were more or less heated, resulting in serioiis loss. 



Sixty-one varieties were under test during 1900, but two of them, viz.; Columbus 

 and New Electric, were completely destroyed by hail and were Jiofc harvested. I'he 

 81 ze of the ploto was one-twentieth of an acre each, the soil was a cla^' loam summer- 

 fallowed. All the plots were sown on May 3 and 4 : — 



