622 



IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



wet weather during the flowering period, the earlier oats may be out of 

 danger before these evil conditions arise. 



In order to be safe it is recommended that the farmer raise a field 

 of each, an early and a medium variety. There is also the advantage 

 of distributing the labor at harvest time and of not being obliged to 

 cut part of the crop after it is dead ripe and shattering badly. 



How the Test Was Conducted. — The original test was started with 13 

 varieties in 1898. During the five years 1898 to 1902, inclusive, this 

 number was increased to 36. Of these, 23 give sufl&cient data to war- 

 rant the drawing of some conclusions. The results of these years work 

 will be found in the tibles on pages 624 to 627.* Of these varieties 

 only six have continued through the last five years (1903-1907), and 

 of these six only one, Silvermine, can be said to have held a place as a 

 leading oat of the state. These are seen in the following table: 



AVERAGE FOR FIVE YEARS, 1898-1902. 



During the last five years (1903-1907) 44 varieties have been grown. 

 Some of these have only been raised one year and do not have suffi- 

 cient data for conclusions, but there are 25 with more than a two year 

 record. These are arranged in tabular form on pages 628 to 631, and 

 their average on page 628. 



Of the six original varieties still grown at the Station, the Silvermine 

 now has a place at the top of the list in the average of the last three 

 years yields. The second place has been taken by the Kherson, a 

 Turkestan (60 day) oat, first raised at Ames in 1903. In the average 

 for four years and for five years the Kherson has outranked the Silver- 

 mine in yield. The two may be considered of equal value from the 

 standpoint of yield. Silvermine ripens in from 95 to 100 days; the 

 Kherson in from 90 to 95 days. 



*The same number is retained by a variety tbrougliout five years. 



