EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS, 221 



partly to be ascribed to the frequent handlinsr which the bundles of the Black 

 Beauty received and to the further fact that the yield of the Black Beauty was 

 stored out of doors which made the threshing with the flail more difficult and less 

 complete. The recorded yields per acre of the varieties of oats in 1902 were as 

 follows. 



Bushels, 



The Columbus 63.75 



Black Beauty 53.75 



Lincoln 52.50 



American Banner 48.75 



Dupauper 37 . 50 



The season of 1902 was evidently much more favorable than that of 1901 for 

 oats and a good yield resulted with all varieties. The Station is attemntin? to 

 select those sorts which will best resist wet weather, rust and smut, and will be 

 most apt to give good yields under the conditions which exist on Upper Peninsula 

 farms. 



COEN. 



The season of 1901 was peculiarly unfavorable to corn, owing to the frequent 

 frosts in May. It was unwise to plant until after the first of June. Thereafter 

 the corn grew rapidly up to the last of Ausrust when all varieties were in the 

 glazing stage. The frosts of September did but little injury to this cron; the fall 

 army worm made its appearance but not until late in September and then the 

 depredations were confined to the work of an occasional larva on a small soft ear. 



Among the numerous varieties tested some are worthy of special mention. 

 Considering the lateness of planting, the Oilman made an enviable record; the 

 kernels are good size, the cob medium, with strong stalks and broad and abundant 

 leaves. The Dent variety, Wernich's Sweet Pearl seemed the most desirable and 

 showed its superiority from almost the beginning of the season. With proper se- 

 lection this variety can be much improved as to size of cob and number of rows 

 of kernels. Nearly all the varieties were planted between rows of fruit trees, la 

 hills four feet apart each way and the plots cultivated thoroughly through the 

 season. None of the varieties ripened a very large proportion of the ears and, 

 consequently, reports of yields are out of the question. The work of the Station 

 is to be directed toward the selection not alone of varieties but of strains of each 

 variety which will mature in the latitude of the Station. 



Notwithstanding the much more favorable se'^son of 1902, none of the varieties 

 of corn ripened much better than in the preceding unfavorable year. The cool 

 weather in June accounted for this lack of maturity; the season itself between 

 frosts was long enough to ripen any of the sorts since there was no fro'^t da-naging 

 to corn between June 5th and September 19th. All varieties reached the glazing 

 stage before September 19th and many ears partly ripened. The Minnesota King, 

 a yellow Dent, was the nearest ripe of any of the varieties tested. One-half of 

 the kernels were well dented The next nearest ripe was the Yellow Dent, name 

 unknown, but coming from Milford. Michigan, the seed having been furnished by 

 Mr. F. W. Potts of that place, who stated that he had been improving the variety 

 for several years by careful selection. It is. undoubtedlv, an imDroveraent on the 

 Dakota Yellow Dent with a more abundant and larger foliage and larger and 

 longer kernels, smaller cob and taller stalk, averaging here 10^4 feet in height. 

 To test the vitality of seed ripened at this Station- during the wet season of 1901, 

 one-half of the plots of Longfellow and Triumph were planted with such seed, 

 fresh seed being used for the other halves. The corn ta'=!se!led at the same time 

 in both halves of each plot and no difference could be observed between the home 

 grown and foreign grown seed at any time during the season. 



Of the sweet corn varieties none ripened in 1902 and onlv one arrived at the 

 edible stage, namely, Oakview Early Market; planted May 2^d, edible September 

 12th: ears 8 inches long, 12 rows, kernels large and fairly sweet, stalks averaging 

 4 feet. 



