20 TEN YEARS ' EXPERIENCE WITH THE SWEDISH SELECT OAT. 



Alaska. 



Under the direction of Prof. C. C. Georgeson, Special Agent in 

 charge of the Alaska Agricultural Experiment Stations, the Swedish 

 Select oat has been tested at one or more points in Alaska in compe- 

 tition with other varieties during the entire period from 1900 to 1908, 

 except the season of 1901. In nearly all cases it either partially or 

 fully matured, though in three instances it appears to have failed 

 completely — at Kenai in 1903, at Sitka in 1904, and at Rampart in 

 1905. In two of these instances all other varieties also failed. 



The weather conditions at Copper Center, though south of Rampart, 

 are more severe than at the latter place, and cereals have usually done 

 better at Rampart. Nevertheless, the Swedish Select oat at Copper 

 Center was cut for seed in 1904 and gave a "good average crop," the 

 plants being "well filled." The plants matured also in 1905 and 

 partially matured in 1906 and 1907. The North Finnish Black, an- 

 other variety introduced by this Department, is the only one that 

 has been constantly more successful than the Swedish Select. 



The specimen of the Swedish Select oat shown in Plate I was grown 



at Sitka in 1903. 



Miscellaneous. 



In some other States entirely outside of the northern oat district, 

 such as Indiana and Ohio, the Swedish Select stands still farther 

 removed from the top in yielding capacity in comparison with other 

 kinds, according to results at the experiment stations, but even in 

 those States gives results usually considerably better than the 



average. 



TRIALS BY FARMERS. 



While the tests of any crops made by farmers are not likely to be so 

 accurate as a rule as those made at experiment stations, nevertheless 

 more satisfactory information may often be obtained from such tests 

 because of their greater number and the fact that they represent such 

 a variety of conditions of soil and climate. The system of securing, 

 filing, and summarizing reports devised in the Office of Grain Investi- 

 gations and used in cooperation with the Office of Seed and Plant 

 Introduction and Distribution has made it possible to obtain a great 

 amount of interesting information concerning this new oat variety. 



It may be of value to the reader to give extracts from some of the 

 most important reports on the Swedish Select oat received from 



farmers. 



Washington. 



Mr. Gilbert Engbritson, of Edison, Skagit County, Wash., 80 miles 

 north of Seattle, wrote as follows on September 15, 1904: 



I beg to make a second report to your Department on the results of the second crop i A 

 the 2 pecks of No. 9422 Swedish Select oats mailed to my address February 16, 1903. 

 182 



