46 Department of Plant-Breeding. 



The object of these experiments is to produce an early, high-yielding 

 strain from the different varieties which will be adapted to cultivation in 

 the State, for either silage or seed purposes. The advance made so far 

 gives promise of some good strains of dent corn suitable for New York 

 conditions. It has been found that by selection some early, high-yielding 

 strains have been obtained;, some of which transmit these characters, 

 showing the possibilities of greatly improving the existing varieties of 

 corn. While the experiments have been under way only three years it 

 is found that the corn is maturing much earlier than at the outset. 



Cereal breeding experiments. — The cereal breeding experiments are 

 being conducted in cooperation with the Bureau of Plant Industry of 

 the United States Department of Agriculture, and include the breeding 

 of wheat and oats. 



Oat breeding experiments. — The testing of the hybrids and selections 

 made by Professor J. B. Norton, of the Department of Agriculture, has 

 been continued the past year. The test has now run through four 

 seasons, having been begun in 1907. The yields of grain from the 

 different varieties have been carefully determined each year and it is 

 now possible to draw some conclusions from the results. In some cases 

 there is very little indication of the tendency to reproduce high yield, 

 while in others this tendency seems to be very evident. Certain of these 

 strains have given high yield throughout the period of testing and there- 

 fore it seems that the varieties give good promise of being high yielders 

 for New York conditions. There now remains, however, the testing of 

 these strains in comparison with the standard varieties grown in New 

 York. This test was begun the last year. The results, however, are 

 not completed, so that nothing can now be stated regarding the value 

 of these different strains. This test was made by testing out carefully 

 in rod rows several well-known varieties together with the hybrids and 

 selections. The rod rows were repeated a number of times in order to 

 equalize the influence due to changes in soil conditions. 



Another interesting factor brought out in connection with the experi- 

 ments is the greater yielding capacity of certain hybrids than any of the 

 selected strains of standard varieties under trial. In 1907, the ten 

 highest yielding hybrids averaged 14.3 ounces per row, while the ten 

 highest yielding selections averaged only 12.2 ounces per row. In 1908, 

 the ten highest yielding hybrids gave an average of 16.9 ounces per row 

 and the ten highest yielding selections 12.5 ounces per row. In 1909, 

 the ten highest yielding hybrids gave an average of 16.9 ounces per row 

 and the ten highest yielding selections 12.8 ounces per row. The results 

 for 1910 have not yet been determined, but it seems evident that certain 



