1264 Pr,ANT BREEDING 



ledge which we at present possess as to the cause of senile degeneration does 

 not allow of a rash negation of the possibilitj' of somatic regeneration. 

 In a bibliographical appendix the writer gives a list of 57 works. 



966 - Experiments in Siberia, on Different Varieties of Oats. — (Cuninmiiicatci by the 



ICstablishincnt for Seed rrochiction of Smoline I^. I), and vSkalosouliov X. 1,., situated near 

 Kurgan, Ciovernnient of Tobolsk, Siberia). — Skai.osouisov X. J^., in (■e.nbcKoc Xo-lffii- 

 (')UM U: ,'[i7,cna()dcinm {Ai^riculturc and Sylvicidlurc), Year I^XXVl, Vol. CC]/, 

 pp. 562-571. I'etrograd, April lyifi. 



The experiments begun in Ifji3, cliiefly with the object of elaborating 

 and establishing the methods and technique of selection, were resumed in 

 1914, the original selected seeds being made use of wherever po.ssible. The 

 following varieties were experimented on: i) " Rj^khhk " oats of the Ex- 

 perimental Station of vSobiechine, coming from Siedlez, Poland (No. 809) ; 2) 

 " Golden rain " from Svalof (No. 766) ; 3) Imchinsk oats, received from 

 Tobolsk (No. 743) ; this variety was held in good repute 15 years ago ; 

 4) beardless Probstei oats from Svalof (No. 747) ; 5) " Victory " from 

 Svalof (No. 768) ; 6) " I.igovo II " from Svalof (No. 768) ; 7) " Rykhlik " 

 from Sobiechine, first growth of this variety on the farm (No. 553). 



On the basis of the description "of the varieties of oats given by Kor- 

 xiCKE, the writer .states that among the 6 varieties experimented on, 4 were 

 found to be homogeneous from the botanical point of \new: the " Golden 

 rain" may be referred to Aveyia sativa patnla var. anrea, Keke; the 

 Probstei beardless to the same variety ; " Ligovo II " to the variety 

 A. sativa patula aristata Keke ; " Victory " to the variety A. sativa patula 

 var. praegravis Kr. ; the " RykhHk " from Sobiechine appears to be a mix- 

 ture of the three forms of A vena sativa : patnla var. trisperma Schiibler, 

 aristata Kx.,praegr avis Kr., or of four forms, namely the 3 preceding ones 

 and in addition the variety aurea Keke ; finally the Imchinsk oats are 

 made up of three forms : A. sativa pain! a: mutica Al., praegravis Kr. and 

 aristata Kr. 



The experiments were made on plots of iog.25 sq. metres (o.oi dessiatine), 

 each being repeated on 3 plots, taking as the standard of comparison the 

 original "Rykhlik" variety from Sobiechine (No. 909). The oats follow- 

 ed potatoes on a sandy tchernoziom soil ploughed in autumn and spring 

 before sowing. 



In estimating the results the writer did not confine himself to the arith- 

 metical mean of the crops, but also made allowance for the probable error ; 

 he also carried out researches into the more or less close stand of the culms, 

 on tillering, earliness, on the variations in the weight of the glumes, and on 

 the absolute weight of the grain. He thus found that from the point of 

 view of yield the varieties " Rj^khlik " from Sobiechine and the 3 Svalof 

 varieties, namely " Victory ", " Probstei " and " Golden rain ", stand out ; 

 from the ]Doint of view of earliness : the " RA^khlik " from Sobiechine and 

 " Golden rain " ; as regards weight of glumes " Probstei ", " Golden rain " 

 and " Rykhlik " from Sobiechine are the most prominent, and as regards 

 the absolute weight of the grain: " Rykhlik " from Sobiechine, " Victory " 

 and " Probstei ", while " Golden rain " ranks last in respect of this 



