852 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



seeds gave the following results : Barley 53.8 and 46 bu., winter wheat 46.9 and 

 9.3 bu., and peas 29.2 and 10.2 bu. per acre for the sound and broken seed, respec- 

 tively. 



Seed of Joanette black oats lias been selected for 13 years in succession. In 

 1905 large plump seed produced 05.5. light seed 44.7, and hulled seed 69.4 bu. 

 per acre, with the weights per measured bushel 35.5. 24.3. and 34.3 lbs., respec- 

 tively. It required 1,149 grains of the crop from the large plump seed to weigh 

 an ounce and 2.066 grains of the crop from the light seed for the same weight. 

 Crops of oats, barley, and potatoes have been grown in the experimental depart- 

 ment without change of seed for 16 years and for the 4 4-year periods the aver- 

 age results were as follows : Oats 74. 79, 83, and 100 bu. ; barley 50, 54, 63, and 

 63 bu. ; and potatoes 120, 216, 218. and 249 bu. per acre. These results show 

 that the average yields for the last period surpassed the lirst period by 26 bu. 

 per acre for oats, 13 for barley, and 129 for potatoes, and that therefore grain 

 and potatoes can be grown for a number of years without change of seed with 

 proper selection of seed and handling of crop. 



Work in the improvement of the varieties of grain crops by plant selection 

 showed that hand planting gave a much 1 tetter opportunity for the plants to 

 grow under uniform conditions than any other method. The crops were grown 

 from seeds selected in 1903, and from seeds from selected plants in 1904, and 

 planted 1 ft. apart each way. The average number of heads per plant the 

 second year was as follows: Mandscheuri barley 13.5, Chevalier barley 31.7, 

 Siberian oats 18.4, and Joanette oats 46.9. The results with improved strains 

 of leading varieties of spring grain were compared, and in every case the yield 

 of grain from seed obtained from selected plants was higher than that from seed 

 from unselected plants. 



In connection with this selection work it was ascertained that in 1905 the 

 progeny of a single seed of different crops planted in 1903 amounted to 1,929 

 lbs. of Mandscheuri barley, 1,119 lbs. of Chevalier barley, 2,109 lbs. of hulless 

 barley, 2,102 lbs. of Siberian oats, 3,439 lbs. of Joanette oats, and 241 lbs. of Wild 

 Goose wheat. Of 250 varieties of oats under experiment, Joanette has produced 

 the greatest yield of grain per acre, has been the greatest stooler, and has fur- 

 nished grain exceedingly thin in the hull. It is, however, very short in the 

 straw and it has, therefore, been crossed with Siberian, which has a straw of 

 better quality and a white grain, but is not equal to the Joanette in the other 

 characters. Some of the hybrids secured are long in the straw, possess good 

 stooling qualities, and produce a white grain with a thin hull. 



A test of different grain mixtures indicates that a mixture of oats and barley 

 generally gives the highest grain production. Early Daubeney oats and Maud 

 scheuri barley are recommended for this combination. Two varieties of winter 

 wheat grown in a mixture gave practically the same results as the 2 varieties 

 grown separately. 



For 5 years oats, barley, spring wheat, and peas were sown on each of 6 dates 

 in each year, the average first date being April 18 and the last May 23. For 

 every day's delay in the seeding after the first week had passed in which the 

 seeding was done there was an average decrease of 56 lbs. of oats, 53 of barley, 

 29 of spring wheat, and 23 of peas per acre. The results of a similar experiment 

 with emmer and spelt show that spelt gave much the best yield from the first 

 date of seeding, while emmer gave, on the average, better yields from late seed- 

 ing. Emmer gave much better yields of grain than spelt. 



Winter wheat sown during the first 10 days of September in each of 9 years 

 yielded 5.2 bu. more than that sown from September 16 to 20. The average 

 results of 6 tests in the time of cutting winter wheat were in favor of allowing 



