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STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



During the seasons of 1913-1915, the yield of the Michigan Winter 

 barley (at the College) lias averaged 58.9 busliels per acre. During the 

 same seasons the Derr Winter has averaged seven bushels less, or 51.7 

 bushels per acre. The average production of barley in Michigan is set at 

 25 bushels per acre hy the U. S. Department of Agriculture. If planted 

 earl}^ and generally grown, these winter barleys may double the average 

 yield of barley in the state. A yield of 59 bushels of barley equals 88^/^ 

 bushels of oats when compared on the basis of pounds of grain per acre. 



HISTORY. 



The early work in this investigation was testing the existing varieties 

 on point of yield. As the common commercial variety is a mixture, it 

 was determined in 1907 to begin the Avork of purifying these strains. 

 Since that time, pedigreed pure lines, the progeny of single mother plants, 

 have been tested in variety series. Only a few highly recommended 





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Fig. 2. 



varieties were at first tested. Finally in 1910 the station got a large 

 number of barleys from different parts of the world. Most of these 

 came through the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Some had been 

 bred by the Department and other experiment stations. The barleys 

 received for 1910 were planted a single seed in a place, five inches apart 

 in the row, and five inches between the rows. Thus several thousand 

 plants grew from single seeds that j^ear and the best ones were selected 

 to become mothers of plant rows in 1911. A variety series of the best of 

 the spring strains were run during 1912, 1913 and 1914. 



Figure 2 shows the 1913 series of spring barleys, and Table I records 

 the three-year results with the winter barleys compared with the best 

 spring varieties found by this investigation. As Michigan barleys, 

 which are of good color and plumpness, are most valuable for feed pur- 

 poses, the prime aim is to produce high-yielding varieties. The principal 

 grain competitor is oats, but since a bushel of oats is only two-thirds 

 as many pounds as a bushel of barley, we cannot compare these crops 

 on the basis of bushels per acre. Valued on the basis of pounds of grain 

 per acre, 40 bushels (1920 pounds) of barley equal 60 bushels of oats. 



